Ithebhu ye-aluminium evela kwisiselo inokufunyanwa ifakwe kwifom entsha yelitye kunxweme lwaseCumbrian eScotland. Oku kufunyenweyo kuye kwanika izazinzulu ngengqiqo eyothusayo kwimpembelelo yomsebenzi womntu kwiinkqubo zendalo kunye nezixhobo zomhlaba.
Abaphandi abavela kwiYunivesithi yaseGlasgow baye bafumanisa ukuba i-slag, imveliso yenkunkuma yoshishino eveliswa lishishini lensimbi, ijika ibe lilitye eliqinileyo kwiminyaka engama-35.
Ukufumana umngeni kwiinkulungwane zokuqonda iinkqubo zejoloji yeplanethi, apho uphando lubonise ukuba ilitye lenza ngokwendalo kwizigidi zeminyaka.
Abaphandi baye babhala 'umjikelo okhawulezayo we-anthropoclastic rock' okwesihlandlo sokuqala, olinganisa imijikelo yendalo yamatye kodwa ebandakanya imathiriyeli yabantu ngaphezulu kwamaxesha akhawulezayo. Bakholelwa ukuba umjikelo uya kuqhubeka kwiindawo ezifanayo zoshishino kwihlabathi jikelele.
Iqela lilumkisa ukuba uphuhliso olukhawulezayo nolungacwangciswanga lwamatye angqonge iindawo zenkunkuma kwimizi-mveliso lunokuba nefuthe elibi kwi-ikhosistim, i-biodiversity, ulawulo lonxweme, kunye nocwangciso lomhlaba.
Kwiphepha elipapashwe kwijenali Geology, abaphandi bachaza indlela uhlalutyo oluneenkcukacha lwediphozithi ye-slag yeekhilomitha ezimbini eDerwent Howe eWest Cumbria ikhokelele ekufumaneni kwabo umjikelo omtsha wenkqubo yoMhlaba.
UDerwent Howe wayelikhaya lentsimbi kunye nezixhobo zokwenza intsimbi ngexesha le-19th Kunye ne20thkwiinkulungwane, kwaye unxweme lwayo lwaqokelela i-27 yezigidi ze-cubic metres ye-slag ye-furnace ngexesha lembali yoshishino.
Iidiphozithi ze-slag zenze amawa enkunkuma ekhukulisekayo ngamaza onxweme kunye namaza. Iqela laqaphela ukwakheka okungaqhelekanga kumawa, kwaye laqala ukwenza uqwalaselo oluneenkcukacha kwiindawo ezili-13 ngaphesheya konxweme.
Iimvavanyo zaseLab zisebenzisa i-electron microscopy, i-X-ray diffraction, kunye ne-Raman spectroscopy yabanceda bafumanisa ukuba izinto ze-slag zikaDerwent Howe ziqulethe iidiphozithi ze-calcium, isinyithi, ne-magnesium, kunye ne-manganese. Ezi elementi zisebenza kakhulu kwikhemikhali, nto leyo engundoqo ekudaleni inkqubo ekhawulezileyo yokwakheka kwamatye.
Xa i-slag ikhukuliswa lulwandle, ibeka izinto ezibonakalayo kumanzi olwandle kunye nomoya, osebenzisana nezinto ezisebenzayo ze-slag ukudala iisamente zendalo eziquka i-calcite, i-goethite, kunye ne-brucite. Ezi samente zizinto ezifanayo ezidibanisa amatye entlenga yendalo, kodwa ukusabela kwemichiza kubangela ukuba inkqubo yenzeke ngokukhawuleza kunokuba besicingela imathiriyeli efanayo kumjikelo wamatye wendalo.
UGq Amanda Owen weYunivesithi yaseGlasgow's School of Geographical and Earth Sciences ngumbhali ohambelana nephepha. UGqr Owen uthe: “Kwiminyaka engamakhulu ambalwa, siye sawuqonda umjikelo wamatye njengenkqubo yendalo ethatha amawaka ukuya kwizigidi zeminyaka.
“Okumangalisayo apha kukuba sifumene ezi zixhobo zenziwe ngabantu zidityaniswe neenkqubo zendalo kwaye zijika zibe lilitye – ngokusisiseko zijika zibe lilitye – ukutyhubela amashumi eminyaka endaweni yoko. Kucela umngeni ekuqondeni kwethu ukuba ilitye lenziwa njani, kwaye icebisa ukuba inkunkuma esiyivelileyo ekudaleni ihlabathi lanamhlanje izakuba nefuthe elingenakuguqulwa kwikamva lethu.”
Uhlalutyo lwelebhu yeqela lomelezwe kukutyhilwa okumangalisayo kwezinto zale mihla ezivaleleke phakathi kwezinye zeesampulu zabo, okuthe kwabanceda bafumanisa ukuba i-lithification ye-slag ithathe ixesha elingakanani.
"Sikwazile ukuyibhala le nkqubo ngokuchaneka okumangalisayo," utshilo uGqr John MacDonald, umbhali-mbhali wolu phando. “Sifumene zombini iingqekembe zikaKing George V ukusuka ngo-1934 kunye ne-aluminiyam yetoti ithebhu enoyilo esiye saqonda ukuba ayinakwenziwa phambi ko-1989 ifakwe kwimathiriyeli.
“Oku kusinika elona xesha liphezulu leminyaka engama-35 lokuyilwa kwamatye, kanye kubomi bomntu omnye.
UGqr David Brown, umbhali wesithathu weli phepha, uthe: “I-Slag iqulathe zonke izinto ezifunekayo ukuze ijike ibe lilitye xa ibekwe emanzini olwandle nomoya, ke ndicinga ukuba kunokwenzeka ukuba le nto inye yenzeka kuyo nayiphi na idiphozithi ye-slag efanayo ecaleni konxweme oluveziweyo kunye nentshukumo ethile yamaza naphi na emhlabeni.
“Inkunkuma yentsimbi yinto eyenzeka kwihlabathi liphela, kwaye njengoko siye sabhala, xa inkunkuma yasemgodini yealkaline isesichengeni samanzi nomoya, kunokwenzeka ukuba kufakwe isamente kwizinto ezingasebenziyo.”
Iziphumo zimele umzekelo wokuqala obhalwe ngokupheleleyo kunye nomhla womjikelo okhawulezayo we-anthropoclastic rock kumhlaba. Kwiphepha, iqela liphawula ukuba inkqubo efanayo yayikhe yabonwa ngaphambili kwinkqubo yonxweme yaseGorronodatxe kufuphi neBilbao, eSpain. Noko ke, abaphengululi balapho abazange bakwazi ukumisela ukuba le nkqubo yayithabathe ixesha elingakanani ngenxa yokuba inkunkuma yafakwa elwandle ngaphambi kokuba ibuyiselwe elunxwemeni.
UGqr Owen wongezelela wathi: "Xa izinto ezilahlekileyo zifakwe kuqala, zikhululekile kwaye ziyakwazi ukuhanjiswa njengoko kufuneka." Oko sikufumanisileyo kubonisa ukuba asinalo ixesha elininzi njengoko sasicinga ukufumana indawo yokuyibeka apho iya kuba nempembelelo encinci kwimeko yokusingqongileyo - endaweni yoko, sinokuba nomcimbi wamashumi eminyaka ngaphambi kokuba ujike ube lilitye, nto leyo enzima kakhulu ukuyilawula.
"Kunxweme olufana noDerwent Howe, inkqubo yokukhutshwa kwe-lithification iguqule unxweme olunentlabathi lwaba liqonga elinamatye ngokukhawuleza okukhulu. Ukuvela ngokukhawuleza kwelitye kunokuchaphazela ngokusisiseko i-ecosystems ngaphezulu nangaphantsi kwamanzi kwaye itshintshe indlela amanxweme asabela ngayo kwimingeni yokunyuka kwamaqondo olwandle kunye nemozulu embi kakhulu njengoko iplanethi yethu ishushu.
"Okwangoku sifuna inkxaso-mali eyongezelelweyo ukunceda ukuxhasa uphando olungakumbi kwezinye iindawo zediphozithi ze-slag kulo lonke elaseYurophu, nto leyo eya kunceda ukuqinisa ukuqonda kwethu lo mjikelo mtsha we-anthropoclastic rock."
Iphepha leqela, 'Ubungqina bomjikelo we-anthropoclastic rock okhawulezayo', lipapashwe kwi-Geology. Uphando luxhaswe ngemali evela kwiGeological Society (eLondon)
