Biogeography of northeastern Atlantic Neogene chitons (Mollusca, Polyplacophora): New data from the Pliocene of Portugal

Based on extensive new material, 2088 valves resulting from search sampling of ~500 kg of sediment, the Pliocene chiton biodiversity of the Mondego Basin (Portugal) is reassessed. Twelve species were identified, assigned to seven genera. Eight species are new for the Pliocene of Portugal, as well as two of the genera: Hanleya, Acanthochitona. Two taxa are described as new: Ischnochiton loureiroi n. sp. and Lepidochitona rochae n. sp. Until now, the polyplacophoran European Neogene record was too poorly known to be of help in generating a clear picture of the Miocene to present-day biogeography of the group. This new wealth of data from western Iberia, in conjunction with recent data from the Loire Basin Upper Miocene assemblages (France), allows clarification the Late Miocene to Recent eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean biogeography of the Polyplacophora. The northern range of warm-water northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Polyplacophora experienced a sharp contraction since, at least, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene times. Warm-water chiton species represented in the Upper Miocene of the Loire Basin of NE France (European-West African Province) and the Pliocene of the Mondego Basin of central-west Portugal (Pliocene French-Iberian Province) are today confined to the southern Mediterranean-Moroccan Molluscan Province.UUID: http://zoobank.org/a2a550c0-caed-449a-aa45-9492c45f882e

Virtual strike and dip – advancing inclusive and accessible field geology

Accessibility and inclusivity in field geology have become increasingly important issues to address in geoscience education and have long been set aside due to the tradition of field geology and the laborious task of making it inclusive to all. Although a popular saying among geologists is “the best geologists see the most rocks”, field trips cost money, time, and are only accessible to those who are physically able to stay outside for extended periods. With the availability of 3D block diagrams, an onslaught of virtual learning environments is becoming increasingly viable. Strike and dip is at the core of any field geologist's education and career;learning and practicing these skills is fundamental to making geologic maps and understanding the regional geology of an area.In this paper, we present the Strike and Dip virtual tool (SaD) with the objective of teaching the principles of strike and dip for geologic mapping to introductory geology students. We embedded the SaD tool into an introductory geology course and recruited 147 students to participate in the study. Participants completed two maps using the SaD tool and reported on their experiences through a questionnaire. Students generally perceived the SaD tool positively. Furthermore, some individual differences among students proved to be important contributing factors to their experiences and subjective assessments of learning. When controlling for participants' past experience with similar software, our results indicate that students highly familiar with navigating geographical software perceived the virtual environment of the tool to be significantly more realistic and easier to use compared with those with lower levels of familiarity. Our results are corroborated by a qualitative assessment of participants' feedback to two open-ended questions, highlighting both the overall effectiveness of the SaD tool and the effect of geographical software familiarity on measures of experience and learning.

Microplastic Extraction from the Sediment Using Potassium Formate Water Solution (H2O/KCOOH)

Microplastics (MPs) are considered an important stratigraphic indicator, or ‘technofossils’, of the Anthropocene. Research on MP abundance in the environment has gained much attention but the lack of a standardized procedure has hindered the comparability of the results. The development of an effective and efficient method of MP extraction from the matrix is crucial for the proper identification and quantifying analysis of MPs in environmental samples. The procedures of density separation used currently have various limitations: high cost of reagents, limited solution density range, hazardous reagents, or a combination of the above. In this research, a procedure based on density separation with the use of potassium formate water solution (H2O/KCOOH) in controlled conditions was performed. Experimental sediment mixtures, spiked with polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PUR) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles were prepared and an extraction procedure was tested in the context of a weight-based quantitative analysis of MPs. This article discusses the effectiveness and safety of the method. It additionally provides new information on the interactions between MP particles and the mineral matter of the sediment. Results were acquired with the use of instrumental methods, namely thermogravimetry (TG), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron microscopy and Energy Dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS), as well as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis.

Remotely navigating thin reservoirs in ERD wells. North Slope Alaska

The Alpine Field, located on the Coville River Delta on the North Slope of Alaska, has been developed exclusively with horizontal wells since 2000. Despite extensive knowledge accumulated throughout the development of the field, many geological uncertainties remain, due to the sedimentary and tectonic complexity of the field. The further development of the field included the drilling of a dual-lateral well targeting two sand layers at different stratigraphic positions within two siliciclastic depositional sequences separated by a major erosional surface stratigraphy of the target interval consists of divided by a major unconformity. Operations were further complicated by logistic consequences of the spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic, deeply affecting travel and physical interactions. These new work conditions would present a challenge to most operators on how to ensure fluid and timely communications between the geosteering team members working from different locations. Despite geological complexity, and the need for fully remote support, geosteering operations proved successful and achieved the desired planned objectives with 70% of the wellbore drilled within the target layer in the upper leg and 95% of the wellbore placed in the target layer in the lower leg. © 3rd EAGE/SPE Geosteering Workshop 2021.

Comparison of Doubly and Intelligent Threshold Geometric Stochastic Process in the Study of Covid-19 Virus Infection

During the outbreak of a particular epidemic disease, Sometimes, the number of daily cases of a given epidemic shows several trends: a monotonous increase during the epidemic's development or outbreak period, accompanied by the stabilized stage of the number of daily cases of infection (stabilization), that is, controlling the epidemic to eradicate it, and then decreasing during the epidemic's decline. A comparison of the doubly geometric stochastic process and the intelligent threshold geometric stochastic process was performed in this paper using the chicken swarm optimization algorithm to determine the optimal stratigraphic boundaries for modelling data on the daily numbers of Coronavirus infections (Covid-19) on the three Iraqi governorates (Baghdad, Erbil, and Basra). To that end, a comparison of the two proposed models was performed to determine which model best fitted the data under study. It was discovered that the intelligent threshold geometric stochastic process model outperformed the doubly geometric stochastic process model in modelling epidemic data in the Baghdad governorate by (11.1%), while the supremacy in epidemic data for Basra and Erbil governorates was (3.98%) and (13.90%), respectively. this demonstrates the relevance of the theoretical postulates discussed on the theoretical side.

Virtual field trip to the Esla Nappe (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain): delivering traditional geological mapping skills remotely using real data

The restrictions implemented to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021 have forced university-level educators from around the world to seek alternatives to the residential physical field trips that constitute a fundamental pillar of Geoscience programmes. The field-mapping course for second-year Geology BSc students from Cardiff University was replaced with a virtual mapping course set in the same area as previous years, the Esla Nappe (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain). The course was designed with the aim of providing the students with the same methodology employed in physical mapping, including such skills as gathering discrete data at stops located along five daily itineraries. Data included bedding attitude, outcrop descriptions with a certain degree of ambiguity, photographs and/or sketches, panoramic photos, and fossil images. Data were provided to the students through georeferenced KMZ files in Google Earth. Students were asked to keep a field notebook, define lithological units of mappable scale, identify large structures such as thrust faults and folds with the aid of age estimations from fossils, construct a geological map on a hard-copy topographic map, draw a stratigraphic column and cross sections, and plot the data in a stereonet to perform structural analysis. The exercise allowed for successful training of diverse geological field skills. In light of the assessment of reports and student surveys, a series of improvements for the future is considered. Though incapable of replacing a physical field course, the virtual exercise could be used in preparation for the residential field trip.