Cattle-based livelihoods,changes in the taskscape,and human–bear conflict in the Ecuadorian Andes

Cattle-raising, especially for dairy, has expanded in the Ecuadorian Andes since the late 1990s as smallholding farmers have shifted their livelihood activities away from crop-based agriculture due to changes in climate, market conditions, and rural out-migration. Non-migrants constructing cattle-based livelihoods are turning to cattle as the basis for “viable” livelihoods in order to remain in depopulating rural parishes. Non-migrant farmers express ideals such as autonomy and tranquility as reasons for their attachment to rural places. In turn, their livelihood activities remake these places materially. Drawing on Tim Ingold’s conceptualization of taskscape and landscape, I argue that cattle-based livelihoods create a taskscape prone to human–wildlife conflict. Since 2009, residents have reported dozens of Andean bear attacks on cattle. Cattle are vulnerable capital assets. They represent both an investment with daily and weekly dividends over many years, in the form of milk, and a long-term form of wealth storage. The turn to cattle-based livelihoods in this region has thus heightened human–bear conflict. The phenomenon of the human–bear conflict is therefore a product of shifting livelihoods and accompanying changes in the taskscape. This analysis demonstrates the importance of listening to narratives of place attachment and accounting for the cultural logics of livelihood choices when considering interventions to address human–wildlife conflict.     

On the landslide event in 2010 in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Angangueo, Michoacán, Mexico

In February 2010, 19 fatalities and economic damage were caused by a regional landslide episode in the state of Michoacán, México. The municipalities of Angangueo, Ocampo, Tiquicheo de Nicolás Romero, Tuxpan, and Tuzantla were severely damaged, with Angangueo being the most affected. The event involved a series of debris flows, of which four were the most significant; these four caused 16 deaths in addition to considerable damage to roads, electricity, and the water supply system, with indirect consequences in crop production, cattle farming, and tourism. The area affected by these four flows was calculated as 282?km², with an estimated 697,346?m³ of mobilized material. General observations indicated that the initiation sources of the debris flows were on deforested zones. The present research is concentrated on the Angangueo basin, an area situated within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Given the lack of rain gauges in the area of interest, records from neighboring points were used to build a comprehensive overview of the extreme precipitation event that triggered the devastating debris flows. The nearest rain gauge, Laguna del Fresno, situated 21?km to the south, recorded 204?mm of rainfall from 1 to 5 February, equivalent to 30% of the mean annual rainfall. Moreover, during a 24-h period the El Bosque rain gauge recorded 144.5?mm of precipitation, the equivalent of 2,270% of the mean rainfall for the same month (6.36?mm). The occurrence of a hailstorm preceding the rainfall event is notable; conditions in the superficial soil layer would have included an increased pore water pressure. Presumably, before the 2,000-year return period extreme rainfall event, thawing of hail and consequent moisture and/or pore-pressure increase result in decreased frictional strength. This paper presents a spatial analysis of the distribution of these landslides, mainly debris flows, as well as general observations on the triggering mechanism, the strength properties of the materials involved, and the societal impact.     

Analysis on the sources of mercury in soils in the Chengdu Basin, China

Mercury is a pollutant of concern due to its toxic and bioaccumulative properties. Studies on the distribution and hazard of mercury in the environment are mainly focused on its forms, toxicity and the environment standard, and progresses and results have been achieved. But these studies in the past were concentrated on the scales of laboratory or smaller districts merely, such as a small unit of mineral area, vegetable base, paddy field, lake, etc. Multi-target regional geochemical survey carried out by China Geological Survey from the 1990s to now is a fundamental and commonweal geological survey, large-scale and systematical inquisition and research were conducted in 19 provinces （or municipalities directly under the Central Government） in the eastern overlay region of China, and the purpose is to provide the basic geochemical data for national economic construction, adjustment of industrial and agricultural structures and sustainable social development. Geochemical studies aim at investigating soils in these regions and 52 elements have been tested, producing a great amount of data at the same time. Methods： based on the data from 3061 samples of surface soil and 832 samples of deep soil from the project of multi-purpose geochemical survey in the Chengdu Basin, Sichuan, China, this paper describes the correlation relationship between Hg and other 48 elements and their spatial distribution in surface and deep soils of these areas by applying the method of linear regression and factor analysis.     

Seawater Intrusion in the Longkou-Laizhou Area, Shandong

The extensive intrusion (covering an area of 83.7-238.3 km~2 and accounting for 18.6-31.5% of the total area of the plain), the presence of a transitional zone 1.5-6.0 km in width, and the interconnection in distribution between the seawater intrusion district and the region lower than the sea level caused by the strong drop of the groundwater level are major characteristics of the seawater intrusion in the study area. Cation exchange played an important role during the formation of chemical composition of the groundwater in the seawater intrusion district.     

Hydrocarbon migration in the Zagros Basin,offshore Iran,for understanding the fluid flow in the Oligocene–Miocene carbonate reservoirs

Kuh-e Mond Field is a conventional heavy oil resource in the Zagros foreland Basin, Iran, produced from the fractured carbonates partially filled by dolomite, calcite, and anhydrite cement. Vitrinite reflectance data from carbonate reservoir suggest low-maturation levels corresponding to paleotemperatures as low as 50 °C. The observed maturation level (< 0.5% Rmax) does not exceed values for simple burial maturation based on the estimated burial history. Oil inclusions within fracture-filled calcite and dolomite cement indicate the key role of these fractures in oil migration.The fluid inclusion temperature profiles constructed from the available data revealed the occurrence of petroleum in dolomite, calcite, and anhydrite and characterize the distinct variations in the homogenization temperatures (T_h). Fluid inclusions in syntectonic calcite veins homogenize between 22 °C and 90 °C, showing a salinity decrease from 22 to 18 eq. wt.% NaCl. Fluid inclusions in anhydrite homogenize at < 50 °C, showing that the pore fluids became warmer and more saline during burial. The T_h range in the calcite-dolomite cement depicts a change in water composition; therefore, we infer these cements precipitated from petroleum-derived fluids. The microthermometry data on the petroleum fluid inclusions suggest that the reservoir was filled with heavy black oils and high-salinity waters and indicate that undersaturated oil was present in a hydrostatically pressured reservoir.The T_h data do not support vertical migration of hot fluids througout the section, but extensive lateral fluid migration, most likely, drove tectonically dewatering in the south or west of the pool.     

Microfossils from the Wumishan Formation of the Jixian System in the Ming Tombs,Beijing,China

Members Ⅰ-Ⅳ of the Wumishan Formation of the Jixian System are exposed respectively in Mt. Cuihua and Mt. Hushan in the Ming Tombs, Beijing. Black banded cherts which are extensively developed in this formation contain an abundance ofmicrofossils that are well preserved and variable in form. A study of thin sections shows that the microfossils include 10 genera, 12 species, 3 of. species, 2 indeterminate species and 1 unnamed form, of which 1 genus and 7 species are newly erected. The present assemblage is morphologically comparable to those from the Wumishan Formation in the Western Hills of Beijing, Jixian County of Tianjin and Kuancheng of Hebei Province.     

Coenotypes in Submerged Paleoforests in the Qianhu Bay, Fujian Province

The paleoforest remains studied are distributed within a range of 18000 m^2 in the intertidal zone of the Qianhu Bay, Fujian Province. Eighty-nine ancient tree stumps can be clearly recognized in the paleoforest remains. Microscopic studies of 10 relatively low-carbonized stump samples definitely showed four species： Glyptostrobus pensUi （Staunt） Kouch, Schima superba Gardn., Cinnamomum Schaeffer, and Litsea Lam. The 14^C dating of some samples yielded the ages of 42560±350 to 〉43000 a B. P., corresponding to the late Late Pleistocene.     

Thrust Propagation in the Aqqikkol Lake Area, the East Kunlun Mountains, Northwestern China

The western segment of the East Kunlun Mountains is one of the poorly studied regions in northwestern China. Through a structural analysis of the typical sections, we have the following views: (1) There is a very well developed fault system in the western segment of the East Kunlun Mountains and thrust propagation, normal slip and decoupling are the chief deformation events in this area. (2) Although the thrusting started in the Late Carboniferous and Late Triassic-Early Jurassic, strong activity took place in the Miocene-Quaternary when the Kumkol basin was strongly downwarped. (3) The tectonic pattern of coexistence of N-directed thrust propagation and S-directed normal slip in this area is consistent with the general tectonic pattern of the northern Qinghai-Tibet plateau and also very similar to that of the Himalayan region on the southern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, but their directions between the thrust propagation are opposite and all the strong thrust propagations occurred from the Mioc     

Uranium mineralization in the muscovite-rich granites of the Shalatin region, Southeastern Desert, Egypt

1INTRODUCTION THELATEPRECAMBRIANGRANITOIDSOFTHEARABONU BIANSHIELDINEGYPTWEREEXPOSEDBYEARLYTOMIDDLE TERTIARYUPLIFTANDENSUINGEROSIONDURINGTHEREDSEA RIFTINGEVENT(GREENBERG,1981).THEREAREANUMBER OFEFFECTIVEANDRELATIVELYSUCCESSFULSCHEMESFORTHE CLASSIFICATIONOF…     

Mercury in river sediments, floodplains and plants growing thereon in the drainage area of the Idrija mine, Slovenia

Half a millennium mercury production at Idrija is reflected in increased mercury contents in all environmental segments. The bulk of roasting residues from the middle of the 19th century to 1977 was discharged directly into the Idrijca River, and the material was carried at high waters to the Soca River and farther into the Adriatic Sea. It has been estimated that 45500 tons of mercury were emitted into the environment during the operating period of the mine, which ceased production in 1994. In the lower reaches of the Idrijca the riverine deposits with high mercury contents have been, and will be in the future a source of mercury polluted sediment. Stream sediments were monitored at the same locations along the Idrijca and Soca rivers （70 kin） every 5 years since 1991 （1991-2005）. Grain size distribution was determined by dry sieving and fractions for geochemical analysis were prepared （〈0.04 and 〈0.125 mm）. Soils on river terraces were sampled at 5 localities in the lower course of Idrijca. At two locations of the terrace profiles the samples of averaged meadow forage and plantain （Plantago lanceolata） were collected within a 50-meters radius. We found that there was no decrease in mercury concentration in active river sediments during the last 20 years. Upstream from the Idrija Town the mercury concentrations in active river sediments vary from 1 to 10 mg/kg （average 3.3 mg/kg）. From Idrija to Spodnja Idrija the mercury concentrations increase extremely and vary greatly （32-4,121 mg/kg, the average is 734 mg/kg）. From Spodnja ldrija to the Idrijca-Soca confluence is the average 218 mg/kg, and 57 mg/kg downstream in the Soca River sediments.     

Application of the Sequence Stratigraphy in the Study of Cretaceous-Tertiary of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China

1. IntroductionThe Tarim basin, one of the most developed and important areas of marine Cretaceous-Tertiary in China except for south Tibet, is very rich in oil and gas, such as Kekeya oilfield in southwestern Tarim and Kela2 gas field in northeastern Tarim. Because of the expansion, subduction of the oceanic crust of the Tethys and the collision between the India plate and the Eurasia plate during the Cretaceous-Tertiary, the Tethys transgressed into the Tarim basin from west to east fr…     

Trends in heat-related mortality in the United States, 1975–2004

This study addresses the long-term trends in heat-related mortality across 29 US metropolitan areas from 1975 to 2004 to discern the spatial patterns and temporal trends in heat vulnerability. Mortality data have been standardized to account for population trends, and seasonal and interannual variability. On days when a city experienced an “oppressive” air mass, mean anomalous mortality was calculated, along with the likelihood that oppressive days led to a mortality response at least one standard deviation above the baseline value. Results show a general decline in heat-related mortality from the 1970s to 1990s, after which the decline seems to have abated. The likelihood of oppressive days leading to significant increases in mortality has shown less of a decline. The number of oppressive days has stayed the same or increased at most metropolitan areas. With US homes near saturation in terms of air-conditioning availability, an aging population is still significantly vulnerable to heat events.     

Geology, Geochemistry and Genesis of Tungsten-Tin Deposits in the Baiganhu District in the Eastern Kunlun Domain, Northwestern China

Please refer to the attachment(s) for more details.     

Engineering-Geological Problems in the Moravian Karst,Czech Republic

The Moravian karst belongs to one of the famous karst regions in Central Europe. It is situated in Moravia in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. According to the geology it is of Devonian age and the main rocks are of different types of limestones. The process of karstification is still active. They are many caves with rich stalagmites and stalactites and the Macocha abyss, the depth of which is 138.5 m. The underground Punkva River flows through the main part of the karst, forming beautiful underground lakes. Typical karst phenomena, such as sinkholes and deep canyons, may be observed on the surface of the terrain. Because of the karstification, water erosion and frost weathering, many steep unstable slopes and walls originated. To solve the stability from a geotechnical point of view is not easy. This requests a special engineering-geological knowledge and experience.     

SHRIMP U-Pb Zircon Age of the Ka''erjiao Intrusion in the Sawur Region in West Junggar,Xinjiang

Acid intrusions are widespread in the Sawur region, Xinjiang. The Ka'erjiao intrusion is mainly composed of albite granite porphyry, K-feldspar granite porphyry, ivernite and granite porphyry. Being a transitional product between magma intrusion and eruption in the Sawur region, the Ka'erjiao intrusion was formed at the telophase of the late Carboniferous to the begining of early Permian as determined by the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating, with an age of 302.6±7.6 Ma (1σ). The intrusion consists of alkali-enriched rock, whose REE distribution patterns are of the LREE enrichment type, theδEu value is low and Nd, Sr, Pb isotopes reflect its mantle source characteristics. Theδ18O value of intrusion is low as a result of isotope exchange with meteoric water. The geochemical characteristics show that it was formed in a post-collisional tectonic setting. Taking combined considerations of current studies of A-type granites and Permian volcanic rocks, we think that in the telophase of the late Carboniferous to the beginning of the early Permian, the Sawur region was within the extension or compressional to extensional period of a post-collisional stage. The Ka'erjiao intrusion from mantle sources can confirm the vertical continental crust growth in the late Paleozoic. The Sawur region in west Junggar is consistent with east Junggar in post-collisional tectonic evolution process.     

Metamorphism of the Basement of the Qilian Fold Belt in the Minhe-Ledu Area, Qinghai Province, NW China

The basement of the central Qilian fold belt exposed along the Minhe-Ledu highway consists of psammitic schists, metabasitic rocks, and crystalline limestone. Migmatitic rocks occur sporadically among psammitic schist and metabasitic rocks. The mineral assemblage of psammitic schist is muscovite + biotite + feldspar + quartz ± tourmaline ± titanite ± sillimanite and that of metabasitic rocks is amphibole + plagioclase + biotite ± apatite ± magnetite ± pyroxene ± garnet ± quartz. The migmatitic rock consists of leucosome and restite of various volume proportions; the former consists of muscovite + alkaline feldspar + quartz ± garnet ± plagioclase while the latter is either fragments of psammitic schist or those of metabasitic rock. The crystalline limestone consists of calcite that has been partly replaced by olivine. The olivine was subsequently altered to serpentine. Weak deformations as indicated by cleavages and fractures were imposed prominently on the psammitic schists, occasionally on me     

Characteristics of the Reservoir of the Rehai Geothermal Field in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

The Rehai geothermal field in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province is a significant high-temperaturehydrothermal convective system. The geothermal reservoir is composed of granite. Various geothermometersare used to evaluate the reservoir temperature. The most likely temperature of the reservoir as representedby T_(Na-K-Ca) is about 230℃. The chemical and isotopic compositions of fluids before boiling within the reser-voir are estimated. The mixing and dilution of cold and warm waters are discussed. The Rehai geothermal fieldis a high-temperature (hot) water system with the subsurface boiling zone close to the surface. The reservoirpressure at different depths is calculated. And finally the water-rock equilibration is inferred.     

Manganese Skarn Deposit in the Yemaquan Deposit, Qimantage, Eastern Kunlun

Please refer to the attachment(s) for more details     

Isotopic Ages of the Carbonatitic Volcanic Rocks in the Kunyang Rift Zone in Central Yunnan, China

The Mesoproterozoic Kunyang rift, which is located on the western margin of the Yangtze platform and the southern section of the Kangdian axis, is a rare massive Precambrian iron-copper polymetallic mineralization zone in China. The Mesoproterozoic Wulu (Wuding-Lufeng) basin in the middle of the rift is an elliptic basin controlled by a ring fracture system. Moreover, volcanic activities in the basin display zonation of an outer ring, a middle ring and an inner ring with carbonatitic volcanic rocks and sub-volcanic dykes discovered in the outer and middle rings. The Sm-Nd isochron ages have been determined for the outer-ring carbonatitic lavas (1685 Ma) and basaltic porphyrite of the radiating dyke swarm (1645 Ma) and the Rb-Sr isochron ages for the out-ring carbonatitic lavas (893 Ma) and the middle-ring dykes (1048 Ma). In combination of the U-Pb concordant ages of zircon (1743 Ma) in trachy-andesite of the corresponding period and stratum (1569 Ma) of the Etouchang Formation, as well as the Rb-Sr iso