Mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by sub-lithospheric convective mantle material: Transition from high- to moderate-Mg magmatism beneath Vitim Plateau,Siberia

High-Mg lavas are characteristic of the mid-Miocene volcanism in Inner Asia.In the Vitim Plateau,small volume high-Mg volcanics erupted at 16-14 Ma.and were followed with voluminous moderate-Mg lavas at 14-13 Ma.In the former unit,we have recorded a sequence of(1) initial basaltic melts,contaminated by crustal material,(2) uncontaminated high-Mg basanites and basalts of transitional(K-Na-K) compositions,and(3) picrobasalts and basalts of K series;in the latter unit a sequence of(1) initial basalts and basaltic andesites of transitional(Na-K-Na) compositions and(2) basalts and trachybasalts of K-Na series.From pressure estimation,we infer that the high-Mg melts were derived from the sublithospheric mantle as deep as 150 km,unlike the moderate-Mg melts that were produced at the shallow mantle.The 14-13 Ma rock sequence shows that initial melts equilibrated in a garnet-free mantle source with subsequently reduced degree of melting garnet-bearing material.No melting of relatively depleted lithospheric material,evidenced by mantle xenoliths,was involved in melting,however.We suggest that the studied transition from high-to moderate-Mg magmatism was due to the mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by hot sub-lithospheric mantle material from the Transbaikalian low-velocity(melting) domain that had a potential temperature as high as 1510℃.This thermal impact triggered rifting in the lithosphere of the Baikal Rift Zone.     

A word about the teacher

This is a memorial report on the biography and scientific heritage of M.A. Svechnikov — an outstanding scientist and teacher, the founder of the Ural school of close binary stars and the author of the classification scheme for eclipsing variable stars.     

Palaeoclimatic record in the loess–palaeosol sequence of the Strelitsa type section (Don glaciation area,Russia) deduced from rock magnetic and palynological data

Until now, palaeoclimatic reconstructions for the major stages in the development of the Quaternary loess–palaeosol sequence on the Russian Plain have been based on pedological, palynological and faunal (vertebrates and molluscs) analyses. In order to demonstrate the palaeoclimatic influence on the magnetic properties of this sequence, the magnetic susceptibility signature of the Strelitsa type section in the Upper Don basin is compared with a detailed landscape – climate reconstruction of loess and soil from palynological data. Large amplitude fluctuations of palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment are reflected clearly in the lithology and in the rock magnetic properties, which usually are enhanced in wet and warm interglacial periods, but stay at low levels during cold glacial epochs. Palynological climate zonation, however, is sometimes in conflict with the pedologic–magnetic record. Strong climate fluctuations, as indicated by changing pollen assemblages, are not always paralleled by corresponding changes in lithology and/or rock magnetic properties. Alternatively, light coloured illuvial horizons with low magnetic signal sometimes appear to have formed during early stages of interglacials, and the top parts of some palaeosols apparently formed during glacial stages. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Russian cities at a crossroads

The research project `Changes in the Russian urban system after the dissolution of the Soviet Union' supported by the German Science and Research Society aims to reveal the impact of change in (1) the national and regional urban network, (2) the type and condition of Russian cities, and (3) the factors and actors affecting urban development. In this contribution the focus is made on the first task. The authors argue that visible stabilisation of the Russian urbanisation under crisis and/or under a new stage involves a good deal of restructuring and qualitative change. The hierarchy of the nation-wide functional centres is in flux. Within regions `alternative' foci attract industries, capital and people, and compete with regional capitals. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in subsurface sediments of gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes, Lake Baikal: implications for methane and carbonate origin

We report on the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in pore-water samples recovered by gravity coring from near-bottom sediments at gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes/gas flares (Malenky, Peschanka, Peschanka 2, Goloustnoe, and Irkutsk) in the Southern Basin of Lake Baikal. The δ¹³C values of DIC become heavier with increasing subbottom depth, and vary between ?9.5 and +21.4‰ PDB. Enrichment of DIC in ¹³C indicates active methane generation in anaerobic environments near the lake bottom. These data confirm our previous assumption that crystallization of carbonates (siderites) in subsurface sediments is a result of methane generation. Types of methanogenesis (microbial methyl-type fermentation versus CO₂-reduction) were revealed by determining the offset of δ¹³C between dissolved CH₄ and CO₂, and also by using δ¹³C and δD values of dissolved methane present in the pore waters. Results show that both mechanisms are most likely responsible for methane generation at the investigated locations.     

Report of the restudy of the defined global stratotype of the base of the Silurian System

The Global Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） for the base of the Silurian System was defined in 1985. Since that time, a number of researchers have suggested that this section has serious deficiencies for use as a GSSP. As a result, in 2000, the Subcommission on Silurian Stratigraphy （SSS） proposed undertaking a formal restu@ of this GSSP, which was subsequently approved by the International Commission of Stratigraphy （ICS）. The result of this restudy was the formal proposal that the current GSSP, at 1.6 m above the base of the Birkhill Shale, at Dob＇s Linn, Scotland, should be maintained as the same locality and stratigraphic level, but the bios- tratigraphical definition of the boundary should be revised. The previously defined, basal Silurian grapto- lite zone, the Parakidograptus acuminatus Zone, should be subdivided into a lower Akidograptus ascensus Zone and a higher E acuminatus Zone. The base of the A. ascensus Zone, marked by the first appearance of A. ascensus, should be regarded as the biostratigraphic mark for the base of the Silurian. This proposal has now been formally approved by the SSS and ICS, and ratified by International Union of Geological Sciences. This is the first GSSP to undergo formal restudy and redefini- tion, and the proposal also included a recommended procedure for restudy of GSSPs.     

Strengthening long-term embankments maintained on permafrost soils

An analysis of the reasons for the displacements of long-term embankments maintained on permafrost soils indicates that they mainly occur due to plastic deformations in the layer of seasonal freezing and thawing; therefore, the reconstruction of permafrost is not effective in this case. It is proposed to strengthen these embankments with the help of using jet technology for cementation of the top layer of the roadbed. This approach is considered through the example of the deforming embankment on 6,278 km of the Turinskaya-Karymskaya section of the Trans-Siberian Railway.     

Primary Production and the Hydrochemical Parameters of the Salt Lakes in the North-Western Part of the Crimea(Russia)

正1 Introduction It is known that more than 300 lakes and lagoons are present in the Crimean Peninsula,which are divided depending on position to 7 groups:Perekop,Tarkhankut,Evpatoriyskaya,Khersonesskaya,lake on the mountainpastures,Kerch and Genicheskaya.Almost the all lakes,with the exception of the small freshwater lakes,which situated on mountain pastures of the Main ridge of     

Phase state of the carbonaceous matter in the metalliferous shales of the Russian Far East

Carbonaceous matter (CM) in shales of some deposits and occurrences of the Russian Far East has been studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray phase and differential thermal analyses. It was shown that the carbonaceous matter in the high-temperature shales (amphibolite facies) of the Soyuznoe deposit is represented by holocrystalline graphite, while the low-temperature (greenschist facies) shales of the Sutyr and Kimkan sequences contain mainly nanocrystalline graphite. It was substantiated for natural objects that platinum is assimilated by graphite at high temperatures. This should be taken into account in planning the prospecting works, as well as in developing a technique for enrichment of carbonaceous ore, because high-temperature carbonaceous shales with holocrystalline graphite are promising for Pt, unlike their low-temperature analogues with nanocrystalline graphite.