Technology used to examine solid materials at the nanometer scale has existed for decades, but the interest in applying these methods to reservoir rocks has increased dramatically in recent years. Shale gas and shale oil reservoirs require this level of imaging to resolve the pore space, and other tight rocks benefit as well, particularly when clay-hosted porosity is common or wettability is difficult to characterize. A significant aspect of organic-rich reservoirs that is unique to them is the common occurrence of organic-hosted pores, which are portrayed in several chapters of this Memoir.

This volume is the latest of eight books as a result of the activities of the scientific program on ”The Response of the Earth System to Impact Processes” (IMPACT) of the European Science Foundation (ESF). The ESF is the European association of national funding organisations of fundamental research, with more than 60 member organisations from more than 20 countries.

Важность понимания трехмерного кинематического управления при анализе мониторинга смещений в глубоких карьерах над подземными горными работами

Surface mining operations are increasingly involving the design and development of  deeper and larger open pits, often with plans to transition into underground mass mining operations. Experiences at the Palabora Mine in South Africa demonstrate the complex interactions between underground workings and the steep slopes above that may lead to slope movements that potentially pose safety and economic concerns. To properly assess the rock mass response to these interactions for planning of future developments, understanding the controlling influence of geological and geomechanical structures is crucial. Preliminary results are presented from a detailed review of historical slope monitoring data from the Palabora Mine, before and after the initiation of block caving 400-m beneath a 800-m deep pit. This paper demonstrates that a detailed analysis of geology and monitoring data can be used to better understand the kinematic controls of complex rock slope displacements and interactions between open pits and underground mines. This investigative treatment of the monitoring data is important in understanding the failure mechanisms prior to undertaking sophisticated 3-D numerical models

Accurate recoverable resource estimation and grade control procedures are the foundation of successful mining ventures. Long, medium and short term planning in a mining operation are all dependent upon precise estimations. For example, poor estimation may result in the long term in a pit being incorrectly optimised, in the medium term cashflow forecasts may be disastrously inaccurate, and in the short term the allocation of ore and waste material by grade control may be erroneous.