The development of uranium mines has been necessary to obtain abundant and scarce uranium resources, but they also bring inevitable radioactive contamination to the surrounding soil, rivers and lakes. This paper explores the sensitivity of Cypridopsis vidua to the radioactive element uranium and the heavy elements cadmium and copper with single and combined acute toxicity experiments and combined toxicity model predictions. The results from the single toxicity experiments showed that the degree of toxic effects was cadmium > copper > uranium. The combined toxicity experiments showed that the compound toxicity of U-Cd and U-Cu was higher than the weakest component and lower than the strongest component, whereas the compound toxicity of Cd-Cu was higher than either of its components. When the overall proportion of a more toxic metal was increased, its mixed toxicity also increased, and vice versa. Combined toxicity predictions showed that the U-Cd combination was best described by the concentration additive (CA) model, the independent action (IA) model was more applicable to the Cd-Cu combination, and the most applicable model for the U-Cu combination changed depending on the concentration gradient. The acute toxicity data from this study provide a reference for the development of wastewater discharge standards for uranium mines, enriches the data related to the toxicity of uranium for ostracods and deepens the understanding of the threat of uranium pollution to aquatic ecosystems.

In the field of mining engineering, ensuring the safe operation of mines is of utmost importance, and the stability of the backfill materials plays a pivotal role. This research comprehensively analyzes the strain field evolution and crack development in cemented paste backfill (CPB) specimens made from whole tailings under various backfill mix designs by using uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) testing, digital image correlation, and computer vision recognition (CVR) technology. The experimental outcomes reveal that the UCS of the CPB decreases with reductions in cement-to-tailings ratio, filling concentration, and curing age, while the rate of principal strain field evolution significantly accelerates. The developed computer vision recognition model (HSV-CVR), based on hue, saturation, and value color patterns, processes strain field data to quantify the proportions of various strain regions. By applying the first derivative of these proportions, the model enables early crack prediction. This approach overcomes the limitations and subjectivity of traditional artificial vision methods for crack identification, providing precise quantification of CPB strain evolution. The research enhances understanding of mining backfill materials behavior and provides a strong scientific basis for design, monitoring, and risk management, crucial for improving mining safety and efficiency.

Controversy over the geodynamic interpretation of the early Paleozoic granites in the South China Block constrains understanding of tectonic–magmatic evolution. In this paper, we present zircon U-Pb age, Hf isotope, and major and trace element data of the early Paleozoic granites in the Jilongjie region, south-central Hunan Province. A sample that yielded a weighted average ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 425 ± 3 Ma falls into the post-collisional granite field in the classification discriminant of magmatic rocks. Geochemical features indicate that the Jilongjie pluton is a shoshonitic metaluminous rock. The Jilongjie pluton’s chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns exhibit a slight enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREEs) relative to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) with (La/Yb)_N ratios of 15.1–23.7 and weak Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.68–0.78). Zircon Hf isotope results show ε_Hf(t) ranging from −9.94 to −0.69. Jilongjie granite’s parent magma originated from a mixing of crust-derived felsic and mantle-derived mafic magmas, which then underwent fractional crystallization during its ascent. Jilongjie granite was generated through a post-collisional extensional setting associated with delamination of the thickened lithosphere.

The sub-continental mantle beneath North China Craton (NCC) has attracted extensive attention in the past decades because of its dramatic transformation from an old, cold, thick, and refractory mantle to a juvenile, hot, thinner, and fertile mantle. However, the transformation mechanism remains largely controversial. The mantle xenoliths entrapped in basalts, as petrogenetic indicators, can provide an important window to reveal the evolution of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. In this study, we present a systematical study on the geochemical characteristics of the olivine websterite xenoliths and their minerals in the Cenozoic basalts in the Hannuoba region located at the central orogenic belt of the NCC. The results, compared with the geochemical data of Paleozoic and Meosozic peridotites, the Cenozoic composite pyroxenites as well as the global cumulate pyroxenites, demonstrate that: (1) The source of the websterite is probably the lithospheric mantle, which is mainly newly accreted, but with small amounts of ancient mantle residues. The source may be contaminated by different degrees of crustal materials. The high Nb/Ta ratios (11.36–20.57) of the websterite indicate that the Ti-bearing minerals (such as rutile) are probably involved in the source; (2) The websterite is more likely to be produced as a result of interaction of mantle peridotite with the silica-rich melts that are mainly derived from the asthenospheric mantle and also contributed by the crustal materials; (3) The metasomatic crustal melts might be derived from the subducted Paleo-Pacific plate. These melts interacted with the lithospheric mantle can significantly transform the chemical composition of the lithospheric mantle, and consequently play an important role in the destruction of the NCC. An important implication for the destruction of the NCC is further discussed.