British Geological Survey

About: British Geological Survey is a government organization based out in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Groundwater & Aquifer. The organization has 2561 authors who have published 7326 publications receiving 241944 citations.

The IASPEI procedure for the evaluation of earthquake precursors

Abstract: SUMMARY Full scientific evaluation of proposed earthquake precursors for earthquake prediction is a problem because independent testing is difficult or impossible. To approach this difficulty, and to assess the current state of the art of earthquake prediction research, IASPEI has devised a peer-review procedure for precursor evaluation. The procedure does not consider predictions of impending earthquakes, but evaluates case histories of proposed precursors for past events according to stated validation criteria, which are specified in terms of guidelines concerning the hypothesized physical model, data quality, anomaly definition, the rules of association of precursor with earthquake, and statistical significance. So far, five precursors have been placed on a preliminary list of significant earthquake precursors, although none has satisfied the validation criteria well enough to ensure that their placement is permanent. Exclusion of a precursor from the list does not mean it is useless, but further work is required if it is to become convincing. The main objectives in producing the list are to establish a consensus on the criteria which a precursor must satisfy to be recognized as validated, and to find case histories which satisfy these criteria. Further nominations of precursor candidates are requested for evaluation by the IASPEI procedure.

Downstream of downtown: urban wastewater as groundwater recharge

Abstract: Wastewater infiltration is often a major component of overall recharge to aquifers around urban areas, especially in more arid climates. Despite this, such recharge still represents only an incidental (or even accidental) byproduct of various current practices of sewage effluent handling and wastewater reuse. This topic is reviewed through reference to certain areas of detailed field research, with pragmatic approaches being identified to reduce the groundwater pollution hazard of these practices whilst attempting to retain their groundwater resource benefit. Since urban sewage effluent is probably the only ‘natural resource’ whose global availability is steadily increasing, the socioeconomic importance of this topic for rapidly developing urban centres in the more arid parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East will be apparent.

GSUE: urban geochemical mapping in Great Britain

Abstract: The British Geological Survey is responsible for the national strategic geochemical survey of Great Britain. As part of this programme, the Geochemical Surveys of Urban Environments (GSUE) project was initiated in 1992 and to date, 21 cities have been mapped. Urban sampling is based upon the collection of top (0.05 to 0.20 m) and deeper (0.35 to 0.50 m) soil samples on a 500 m grid across the built environment (one sample per 0.25 km 2 ). Samples are analysed for c. 46 total element concentrations by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, pH and loss on ignition as an indicator of organic matter content. The data provide an overview of the urban geochemical signature and because they are collected as part of a national baseline programme, can be readily compared with soils in the rural hinterland to assess the extent of urban contamination. The data are of direct relevance to current UK land use planning, urban regeneration and contaminated land legislative regimes. An overview of the project and applications of the data to human health risk assessment, water quality protection and contaminant source identification are presented.

Defining 'local signature' in terms of Sr isotope composition using a tenth- to twelfth-century Anglo-Saxon population living on a Jurassic clay-carbonate terrain, Rutland, UK

Abstract: The Sr isotope ratios mad Sr concentration in tooth enamel from a rural tenth-twelfth century Anglo-Saxon population living on a Jurassic clay-carbonate terrain in eastern England gives the following mean values: 87Sr/86Sr=0.709820.0018 (2o', n=22) and Sr concentrations = 74 _+ 62 p.p.m. (2o-). The isotope data are taken to be representative of Anglo-Saxon biosphere values in the area of study. The Sr isotope composition of soil leachates, plant material, riverwaters and animal tooth enamel associated with the burial site were all analysed to see which gave the best approximation to these local Anglo-Saxon values, the aim being to define the best method of predict- ing the local Sr signature of areas for archaeological purposes. The Sr isotope composition of acetic acid soil leachates were dominated by the carbonate soil component and gave 0.7085 2 0.0020 water leachates gave 0.7090 _+ 0.0014 and plant material gave 0.7092 _+ 0.0018 (all at 2o-, n = 12). All of these materials were less radiogenic that those of the Anglo-Saxon population. Riverwater gave the same result as the plants at 0.7092 2 0.00 ! 2 (2o-, n = 3). The Anglo-Saxon animal tooth enamel gave the best match with a value of 0.7099 _+ 0.0017 (2o-, n = 13). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests show that there is a high probability (>70% probability, 2SD) that the animals and the humans sampled were from the same population with respect to Sr isotope composition. Thus animal tooth enamel proved to be the best proxy, in this study, for the local human population. Many archaeological studies use skeletal Sr isotope characteristics in an attempt to determine whether a group of people comprise a single population, whether there is an exotic component in the group, or whether or not the entire group come from outside the area in question (Price