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By analyzing the multi-year runoff and rainfall data at 15 hydrological stations from 1980 to 2007, as well as monthly runoff data from 1964 to 1984 at the Zipingpu hydrologic station, the relationship between precipitation and runoff has been established and the trend was explored. Based on the catastrophic floods of August 13 and August 18, 2010, characteristics and control factors on the post-seismic floods are summarized. Firstly, the Wenchuan earthquake and rupture zone provides the background for post-seismic floods to develop in the upper Minjiang River, which follows a post-seismic disaster-chain pattern: earthquake collapse to landslide debris flows to floods. Secondly, heavy rainfall controlled by the orographically-enhanced precipitation after the Wenchuan earthquake is the trigger factor for the development of devastating post-seismic floods. Thirdly, the post-seismic floods contain high sediment discharge, cause abrupt and severe damages, and have a large of volume and higher frequency.

An eco-environmental geochemical investigation was carried out in and around the Dexing mining area to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in the surface water, sediments, soils and plants. The main objective of this study is to assess the environmental situation and evaluate the transferring of heavy metals from mining activities into the food chain. Some samples of water, sediment, topsoil and plant were collected along the Lean River in the Dexing mining area. The total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and As were determined by AAS, and Hg was analyzed by cold-vapor AAS. Some indices such as ‘contamination degree’, ‘geoaccumulation index’, and ‘biological absorption coefficient’ were used to assess eco-environmental quality. The investigation indicated a highly localized distribution pattern closely associated with the two pollution sources along the Le' an, River bank: one is strong acidity and a large amount of Cu in the drainage from the Dexing Cu mining area; and the other is the high concentrations of Pb and Zn in the effluents released from many smelters and mining, processing and extracting activities in the riparian zone. Results from the investigated localities indicated, at least in part, that some problems associated with environmental quality deterioration should be solved in the future.

Analyses of fluid-inclusion leachates from ore deposits show that Na/Br ratios are within the range of 75–358 and Cl/Br 67–394, respectively, and this variation trend coincides with the seawater evaporation trajectory on the basis of the Na/Br and Cl/Br ratios. The average Cl/Br and Na/Br ratios of mineralizing fluids are 185 and 173 respectively, which are very close to the ratios (120 and 233 ) of the residual evaporated seawater past the point of halite precipitation. It is suggested that the original mineralizing brine was derived from highly evaporated seawater with a high salinity. However, the inclusion fluids have absolute Na values of 69.9-2606.2 mmol kg-1 and Cl values of 106.7-1995.5 mmol kg-1. Most of the values are much less than those of seawater: Na, 485 mmol kg-1 and Cl, 566 mmol kg-1, respectively; the salinity measured from fluid inclusions of the deposits ranges from 2.47 wt% to 15.78 wt% NaCl equiv. The mineralizing brine has been diluted. The δ18O and δD values of ore-forming fluids vary from −8. 21% to 9. 51% and from −40. 3% to −94.3%, respectively. The δD values of meteoric water in this region varied from −80% to −100% during the Jurassic. This evidenced that the ore-forming fluids are the mixture of seawater and meteoric water. Highly evaporated seawater was responsible for leaching and extracting Pb, Zn and Fe, and mixed with and diluted by descending meteoric water, which resulted in the formation of ores.

Mining and smelting activities are the main causes for the increasing pollution of heavy metals in soil, water body and stream sediment. An environmental geochemical investigation was carried out in and around the Panzhihua mining and smelting area to determine the extent of chemical contamination in soil and sediment. The main objective of this study was to investigate the environmental geochemistry of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn and As in soil and sediment and to assess the degree of pollution in the study area. The data of heavy metal concentrations reveal that soils and sediments in the area have been slightly contaminated. Geochemical maps of Igeo of each heavy metal show that the contaminated sites are located in V-Timagnetite sloping and smelting, gangues dam. The pollution sources of the selected elements come mainly from dusts resultant from mining activities and other three-waste-effluents. The area needs to be monitored regularly for trace metal, especially heavy metal enrichment.

In the Tuoshi oilfield, located in the Cenozoic Jianghan Basin of southeastern China, there have been found hydrocarbon reservoirs hosted in lacustrine sandstones of the Eogene Xingouzui Formation. The main diagenetic features identified in these sandstones include the dissolution of detrital K-feldspar and albite grains, the precipitation of quartz as overgrowths and/or cements, and the precipitation and/or transformation of clay minerals. These diagenetic features were interpreted to have occurred in early, intermediate and late stages, based on the burial depth. The kinetics of fluid-mineral reactions and the concentrations of aqueous species at each stage of diagenesis were simulated numerically for these lacustrine sandstones, using a quasi-stationary state approximation that incorporates simultaneous chemical reactions in a time-space continuum. During the early diagenetic stage, pore fluid was weakly acidic, which resulted in dissolution of K-feldspar and albite and, therefore, led to the release of K+, Na+, Al3+ and SiO2(aq) into the diagenetic fluid. The increased K+, Na+, Al3+ and SiO2(aq) concentrations in the diagenetic fluid caused the precipitation of quartz, kaolinite and illite. At the beginning of the intermediate diagenetic stage the concentration of H+ was built up due to the decomposition of organic matter, which was responsible for further dissolution of K-feldspar and albite and precipitation of quartz, kaolinite, and illite. During the late diagenetic stage, the pore fluid was weakly alkaline, K-feldspar became stable and was precipitated with quartz and clay minerals. When the burial depth was greater than 3000 m, the pore fluids became supersaturated with respect to albite, but undersaturated with respect to quartz, resulting in the precipitation of albite and the dissolution of quartz. The diagenetic reactions forecasted in the numerical modeling closely matched the diagenetic features identified by petrographic examination, and therefore, can help us to gain a better understanding of the diagenetic processes and associated porosity evolution in sandstone reservoirs.

A total of 31 topsoil samples were systematically collected from the Panzhihua mining area including steel smelting, coal mining, urban and rural districts. A normalization procedure was adopted to establish the environmental geochemical baseline models for this area. By using the above baseline models, the regional geochemical baseline values of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. On the basis of the baselines, the enrichment factors were used to analyze the mechanism of trace metal pollution in topsoil from anthropogenic sources, and the results showed that the serious trace metal pollution is caused by human activities in coal mine, iron mine, smelting factory, tailing dam and other industrial districts in the Panzhihua area.

Quartz was studied with respect to its silicon isotopic composition and cathodoluminescence in micro-fine disseminated gold deposits in SW Guizhou and NW Guangxi. The results showed that quartz in wall rocks, ores and that in association with hydrothermal silicification are distinctive in silicon isotopes and cathodoluminescence characters. Quartz in association with primary silicification is non-luminescent while that in wall rocks and associated with secondary silicification exhibits striking luminescence. Based on the dynamic fractionation of silicon isotopes, it is suggested that the mineralization was accompanied by rapid transport of a primary siliceous fluid along the major deep fault system into subordinate faults before ore components deposited in favorable strata via penetration and metasomatism. Therefore, a deep origin is implicit for gold deposits of this type.

This study focuses on the thermodynamics of diagenetic fluid from the Eogene Xingouzui Formation which represents the most important reservoir in Field Oil T in the Jianghan Basin. The measured homogenization temperatures (110–139 °C) of fluid inclusions in diagenetic minerals fell within the range of 67 –155 °C at the middle diagenetic stage. The pressure of diagenetic fluid is estimated at 10.2 –56 MPa. The activity of ions in the fluid shows a tendency of Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ > Fe3+ > Fe2+ for cations, and HCO 3 − > SO 4 2− > F− > Cl− > CO 3 2− for anions. For the gaseous facies, there is a tendency of CO2> CO> H2S> CH4> H2. According to the thermodynamic calculations, the pH and Eh of the fluid are 5.86–6.47 and −0.73–−0.64V, respectively. As a result of the interaction between such a diagenetic fluid and minerals in the sediments, feldspars were dissolved or alterated by other minerals. The clay mineral kaolinite was instable and hence was replaced by illite and chloritoid.