The Mineralogical and Geochemical Processes involved in Rapid Natural Lithification of Artificial Ground

人工地面是一个术语，用来描述被人类改变的部分陆地表面。这可以包括从自然土地表面移走材料，如采石，或在其上沉积材料，如工业过程中的废物。在世界各地，人类搬运的物质几乎是河流等自然过程搬运的物质的三倍。人工土地通常位于城市地区，因此人们喜欢在所谓的“棕地”上进行建筑。它还可以增强生物多样性，并可用于碳捕获。然而，它经常含有污染物，而且容易发生山体滑坡。考虑到人工地面带来的这些机遇和挑战，了解可能对其产生作用的自然过程是很重要的。当人工地面由人类活动沉积时，人工地面是由松散的物质或沉积物组成的。这可能会变成岩化，即松散的沉积物融合在一起，变得像岩石一样。随着人工地面的数量不断增加，以及岩化可能产生的影响(如固定污染物和捕获碳)，了解人工地面岩化的原因和涉及的过程是重要的和及时的。这项新颖的提议将通过研究两个人工地面已经岩化的英国案例研究地点来探索这一前沿研究领域。样本将从苏格兰和英格兰西北部的遗留渣堆(炼钢的副产品)中收集。对样本的实验室分析将使我们了解为什么人造地面在非常快的时间尺度上变得岩化--比自然沉积物快得多。这项研究将提供一个基本的理解，为进一步的项目了解岩化对污染物固定、地面稳定性和碳捕获等实际方面的更具体影响铺平道路。

Artificial ground is a term used to describe parts of the land surface which have been modified by humans. This can include removing material from the natural land surface, such as quarrying, or depositing material on it, such as waste material from industrial processes. Around the world, almost three times as much material is moved by humans than by natural processes such as rivers. Artificial ground is typically in urban areas and so is favoured for building on, so-called 'brownfield land'. It can also enhance biodiversity, and may be used for carbon capture. However, it often contains pollutants, and is prone to landslides. Given these opportunities and challenges posed by artificial ground, it is important to understand natural processes which may act upon it.When it is deposited by human activity, artificial ground is composed of loose material or sediment. This can become lithified, i.e. the loose sediment becomes fused together to become like a rock. With the ever-increasing volume of artificial ground being created, and the impacts lithification may have (such as immobilising pollutants and capturing carbon), it is important and timely to understand the causes of, and processes involved in, lithification of artificial ground. This novel proposal will explore this frontier area of research by studying two UK case study sites where artificial ground has become lithified. Sample will be collected from legacy slag heaps (by-products from steelmaking) at sites in Scotland and NW England. Laboratory analysis of the samples will allow us to understand why artificial ground becomes lithified over very rapid timescales - much faster than natural sediments. This research will provide a fundamental understanding that will pave the way for further projects to understand more specific implications of lithification on practical aspects such as pollutant immobilisation, ground stability and carbon capture.