中国地质矿产调查事业发展历程

中国是一个有五千多年历史的文明古国和古人类的栖居地。在浩如烟海的古籍和民间传说中,都有丰富的有关地质现象和地质作用的描述。社会生产力和生产关系的变革带来的科学技术进步和生产方式的突破使地质事业的发展呈现出阶段性。包括远古时代人类对地质现象的探索在内,文章把中国地质矿产调查事业的发展史划分为6个阶段,即石器时代的地质遗迹、远古时代的地质认知、启蒙时代的地质考察、奠基时代的地质调查研究、快速发展时期的地质工作和改革开放新时代的地质事业,分别论述了各个发展阶段地质矿产调查工作中的重要地质事件、地质工作的内容和特点、主要调查研究成果和对国家经济社会发展作出的贡献。      

藏西南仲巴一带古人类活动遗迹的发现与研究

于2000-2005年在藏西南地区进行1：25万区域地质调查中,先后发现了古人类活动遗迹点13处,共采集到各类石器、古陶片、骨片等1697件,为雪域高原古人类发展演化研究提供了十分珍贵的资料。经研究认为,主要为中石器文化时代的产物,部分有新石器文化的叠加,仅个别为旧石器文化时代的产物。     

Lithic raw material usages during the Middle Stone Age at Dakhleh Oasis,Egypt

Dakhleh Oasis, the largest of the Egyptian Western Desert, presents an opportunity for diachronic study of lithic raw material preferences during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) of the Eastern Sahara. Archaeological aggregates and raw material sources are exposed and easily mapped. Diverse and abundant lithic raw materials derive from sandstone, shale, and limestone sources and are also found in secondary geological contexts. Three main raw materials were used, and there was strong preference for one of these: Tarawan chert. Easily available only in the north‐central oasis, this material was transported substantial distances even when other materials that were known and used by MSA peoples could be found closer at hand. There is little evidence for use of raw materials exogenous to Dakhleh Oasis. This pattern of usage does not appear to change from the older MSA units to the Aterian Dakhleh Unit. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Human skeletal remains from the southern Cape Province and their bearing on the stone age prehistory of South Africa

Substantial numbers of human skeletons have been recovered from caves and shelters of the southern Cape Province, South Africa, and these constitute a valuable source of information about evolutionary change and population movement during Upper Pleistocene and Holocene times. A few fragments from Klasies River Mouth and Die Kelders are firmly associated with Middle Stone Age cultural assemblages, but most of the material is probably linked with the Later Stone Age Albany and Wilton industries. Unfortunately the largest collections of relatively well-preserved remains have come from earlier excavations (Matjes River Shelter, Oakhurst), and the stratigraphic provenance of these burials is frequently in doubt. Other skeletal samples are small, and paleodemographic approaches are diffcult to apply. However, Bushman- or Hottentot-like individuals can certainly be identified, and this is important to the questions of Bushman antiquity or origins. Other problems concerning early Cape populations can also be examined, and this work on the human skeletons should complement ongoing cave sediment and other geological studies, faunal and plant analyses, and archaeological investigations of associated cultural remains.     

Changing patterns in the late Pleistocene/early Holocene prehistory of Southern Africa as seen from the Nelson Bay Cave Stone artifact sequence

The dating of the Stone Age sequence in southern Africa has been considerably revised over the last decade, and one of the anomalies which has resulted is that the Middle Stone Age, now dated to beyond 30,000 B.P., does not immediately precede the Later Stone Age sensu stricto. The excavation and analysis of occupation horizons dating between the most recent Middle Stone Age assemblages and the Holocene is therefore of particular interest. Nelson Bay Cave, situated on the southern coast of South Africa, contains deposits which partly fill the “gap” between the Middle and Later Stone Ages, and the occupation horizons dating between about 18,000 and 5000 years ago are described in this paper. Changes in the habitat in the vicinity of the site caused by sea-level and vegetation changes coincident with the amelioration of temperatures at the end of the Pleistocene are clearly marked in the faunal remains at the site. Largely correlated with the faunal changes (which includes the introduction of marine resources to the cave at about 12,000 B.P.) are changes in the stone artifact assemblages. Three industries are recognized in the sequence: the Robberg, characterized by microbladelets produced from bladelet cores and a few small scrapers and backed tools; the Albany, characterized by large scrapers and an absence of backed tools; and the Wilton, characterized by a variety of Formal Tools including relatively large numbers of small scrapers and backed tools. These changes in artifact-manufacturing traditions are interpreted as signaling adjustments to changing environmental conditions. An explanation for these adjustments is not sought in a simple cause-and-effect relationship between the environment and the cultural response; artifact changes are seen instead as the result of a twofold process, with the environment acting as an external stimulus to change, and the direction of the artifact change governed by the selection of a range of possibilities offered by the technology of the Later Stone Age sensu lato that was widespread in subequatorial Africa during the last 20,000 years.     

昌化田黄的矿物学特征及相关问题探讨

昌化田黄是近年来市场上出现的产于浙江昌化玉岩山的一个新的田黄品种。68件样品的矿物学研究表明,昌化田黄主要组成矿物为迪开石、高岭石,并可含石英、明矾石、绢云母、褐铁矿、黄铁矿、辰砂等次要矿物,未见珍珠石。昌化田黄与寿山田黄具有相同成因,并具有田黄的石皮、石形、质地、石色、萝卜纹、红格等鉴定特征。昌化田黄在产状、块度、石形及矿物组成上与寿山田黄有差异,可资区别。     

Obsidian from the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift: implications for archeology

Obsidian is abundant in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Petrological and geochemical features of obsidian from four volcanic centers in the MER, namely Birenti, Dofen, Fentale and Kone, are presented. Compositional and petrological variability is noted among the Dofen and Fentale obsidian, but not in those from Kone and Birenti where each have separate but uniform elemental composition. The Fentale and Kone obsidian were source materials for the artifacts of a number of Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age/Neolithic sites in the region. We have yet to determine whether Dofen and Birenti were sources for archeological artifacts. The study also shows that volcanic episodes from a single center do not necessarily result in compositional variability.     

Late Stone Age hunters

Book reviewed in this article:
Smith, C. 1992: Late Stone Age Hunters of the British Isles     

Florisbad—New investigations at a middle stone age Hominid Site in South Africa

First results of renewed excavations at the Middle Stone Age spring site of Florisbad are reported. Seven meters of deposits dating possibly from the later mid-Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene contain several cultural phases and record alternating periods of increased spring flow versus more stabilized conditions. The archaic Homo sapiens cranium discovered in 1932 and the Florisian Land Mammal Age fauna retrieved from the springs are argued to derive from the earliest deposits, estimated to be ca. 100,000–200,000 years old. In an Upper Pleistocene layer beyond the range of Carbon-14 dating, a Middle Stone Age occupation floor has been excavated. This we interpret as a multiple-occupation kill, butchery, or scavenging site. The presence of a hearth, of chipping debris under 10 mm in size, and the limited displacement of artifacts which have been refitted as conjoining pieces demonstrate a minimally disturbed, primary context site.     

Optical and thermoluminescence dating of Middle Stone Age and Kintampo bearing sediments at Birimi,a multi-component archaeological site in Ghana

We report the first luminescence ages for the archeological and geological sediments forming the substrate of the Birimi archaeological site in the Northern Region of Ghana. The site's significance rests on the fact that it contains a rich collection of artifact assemblages representative of three distinct cultures, and that, on the basis of artifact typology, the earliest assemblage is diagnostic of the Middle Stone Age (MSA). In situ occurrences of MSA artifacts are found at over 1 m below today's surface. They are overlain by a ceramic-rich complex of a sedentary or semi-sendentary Later Stone Age culture known as the Kintampo. The western half of the site is dominated by the industrial remains of Iron Age smelting activity.Elemental, mineralogical, and sedimentological analysis of the cultural and sub-cultural sedimentary horizons at the site revealed at least three distinct lithostratigraphic units. The quartz sediments are derived from the sandstone of the Gambaga escarpment, mass wasted and accreted fluvially at a rate of 3.2 cm/ka, forming a wide terrace at Birimi. Silts and finer fractions derive from windblown dust, likely from White Volta River and granitic sources to the north. Soil forming processes and wide fluctuations in moisture have progressively reduced the sediments at depth to the resistant quartz and kaolinite, with rich iron oxide coatings, and created two ironstone horizons composed of goethite-cemented quartz nodules.Multiple aliquot green-light stimulated optical ages for 125–150 μm quartz grains yielded ages of 23.6±2.9 and 40.8±11.8 ka for the MSA-bearing sediments, and 58.4±15.3 ka for the base of the terrace. Radiocarbon ages on charcoal from Kintampo-bearing units are 3.36–3.83 ka cal BP, and are supported by thermoluminescence (TL) ages on pottery sherds and burnt house daub fragments of this cultural complex. A 0.4 ka age on sediment from the site's surface confirms that the quartz zeroes well when exposed to natural light. Sediments bearing the Kintampo artifacts, however, yielded ages of 7.8–16.9 ka. These ages were obtained on sediments from large pits, some over 50 cm deep, and they deviate only slightly from the ages expected for naturally aggraded sediments at these depths. We conclude, therefore, that extensive digging of pits by the Kintampo dwellers was followed by rapid refilling, and that the bulk mobilization of the matrix did not permit the sedimentary quartz grains to experience any appreciable zeroing at that time.     

Stone Age settlement and Holocene shore displacement in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area,eastern Gulf of Finland

Based on geological and archaeological proxies from NW Russia and NE Estonia and on GIS‐based modelling, shore displacement during the Stone Age in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area in the eastern Gulf of Finland was reconstructed. The reconstructed shore displacement curve displays three regressive phases in the Baltic Sea history, interrupted by the rapid Ancylus Lake and Litorina Sea transgressions c. 10.9–10.2 cal. ka BP and c. 8.5–7.3 cal. ka BP, respectively. During the Ancylus transgression the lake level rose 9 m at an average rate of about 13 mm per year, while during the Litorina transgression the sea level rose 8 m at an average rate of about 7 mm per year. The results show that the highest shoreline of Ancylus Lake at an altitude of 8–17 m a.s.l. was formed c. 10.2 cal. ka BP and that of the Litorina Sea at an altitude of 6–14 m a.s.l., c. 7.3 cal. ka BP. The oldest traces of human activity dated to 8.5–7.9 cal. ka BP are associated with the palaeo‐Narva River in the period of low water level in the Baltic basin at the beginning of the Litorina Sea transgression. The coastal settlement associated with the Litorina Sea lagoon, presently represented by 33 Stone Age sites, developed in the area c. 7.1 cal. ka BP and existed there for more than 2000 years. Transformation from the coastal settlement back to the river settlement indicates a change from a fishing‐and‐hunting economy to farming and animal husbandry c. 4.4 cal. ka BP, coinciding with the time of the overgrowing of the lagoon in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area.     

GEOCITY: a drill-hole database as a tool to assess geological hazard in Napoli urban area

The geological investigations of Napoli city, which represent the basic data source for geological hazard assessment, are characterized by the absence of well exposed and continuous outcrops, mainly due to the development of the urbanized area occurred in the last 50 years. In order to increase the set of available geological information, a database named GEOCITY has been realized on the base of 900 drill holes with stratigraphies reflecting the main drill-hole surveys performed during the last century. The true key moments in its construction were the homogenisation of different data and the identification of the geological formations. A detailed analysis of the drill-hole raw data allowed us to define the database entities, while the features of the deposits, the distribution of products and the reference drill holes were used to identify the geological formation. The analysis performed using the GEOCITY database made it possible to better assess volcanic hazard from Campi Flegrei and Somma-Vesuvio and the hazard related to alluvial phenomena that Napoli city is exposed to.     

Post‐excavation deterioration of the Copney Bronze Age Stone Circle Complex: A geomorphological perspective

Post‐excavation deterioration of stones from under blanket peat at the Copney Bronze Age Stone Circle Complex in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, proceeded through widespread scaling, flaking, and splitting of stones. Investigation showed that prior to burial the porphyritic stones already possessed a complex legacy of geological weaknesses derived from hydrothermal alteration and tectonic deformation. Analysis indicated that significant alteration occurred during approximately 2000 years of burial under acidic peat cover, with development of a secondary porosity, alteration of primary minerals, and the opening of preexisting lines of weakness within the stones. Burial under peat also resulted in “bleaching” the stones so that they appeared white in color following excavation. These alterations during burial left the stones in a significantly weakened state and particularly susceptible to the effects of subaerial weathering processes. Data underline the potential fragility of excavated stonework and highlight the need to plan for its aftercare before complete excavation is undertaken. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

安徽省古代矿业史略

安徽古代矿业历史悠久,原始社会时期旧石器时代有繁昌县人类活动遗迹及和县猿人,新石器 时代肥东出土石斧及蒙城尉迟寺遗址;奴隶社会青铜器时期,合肥市出土商代陶器,铜陵市狮子山铜矿木 鱼山采铜遗址上溯到西周,凤凰山铜矿金井洞采铜场遗址始于春秋;封建社会进入铁器时代,战国银、金、 大理石开发利用,西汉丹阳铜闻名全国,并有金、石膏矿的开采,两汉时皆采冶铜陵铜矿及大别山砂铁矿, 东汉至南北朝矿业缓慢发展,隋、唐矿业繁荣,宋、元继续发展,明、清已出现资本主义矿业的萌芽。     

A reconstruction of Quaternary pluvial environments and human occupations using stratigraphy and geochronology of fossil‐spring tufas,Kharga Oasis,Egypt

We carried out a geologic survey and a preliminary archaeological survey of four fossil‐spring tufa localities in Kharga Oasis, Egypt, to constrain the timing of pluvial episodes in the Western Desert, and to document prehistoric occupation contemporaneous with times of increased rainfall. Uranium‐series dating of the tufas confirms that at least five episodes of tufa deposition are represented in Kharga, although not every event is represented at each locality. Across the region studied, tufas were most frequently deposited as part of a fluvial barrage system, characterized by terraced, vegetated pools impounded by arcuate tufa dams and separated by small waterfalls. Available water resources during pluvial phases would have included not only spring‐fed streams but also small freshwater lakes. While Earlier Stone Age (ESA) and Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic artifacts may be found either as surficial lags on tufas, or, less commonly, encased within tufas, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic artifacts are generally found in or on silts within surface deflation depressions in the tufas, principally at Wadi Midauwara. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

昌化明矾石地鸡血石的矿物学研究

运用电子探针、X射线衍射、红外光谱、扫描电镜等分析手段对浙江昌化里梅总洞口新发现的明矾石地鸡血石进行了研究，认为其“地”的矿物成分主要是明矾石，仅有少量迪开石和高岭石。     

5000 a BP以来辽西地区环境灾害事件与人地关系演变

依据辽西地区牧场泥炭层中高分辨率的孢粉分析和炭屑含量统计资料, 并通过对辽西地区自然环境演变与人类文化变迁历史的研究, 5000 a BP来的环境恶化可分为4个灾变过程: 即5000～4400 a BP 寒冷事件、2700 a BP左右寒冷事件、辽金时代的农业开发以及明清战乱.前两个过程与全球性的气候波动同步, 并对早期文明的发展进程产生了重要影响.后两个过程主要是由人类活动因素造成的, 同时也叠加了自然因素.目前区域内的环境恶化主要是由后两个过程引起的.     

Sand,hearths, lithics and a bit of bioturbation: Site formation processes at Umhlatuzana rockshelter,South Africa

Umhlatuzana rockshelter is known for its continuous record of Middle and Later Stone Age lithic assemblages. This study presents multiproxy geoarchaeological data (micromorphology, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy) to reconstruct the depositional and post-depositional history of the site. Although the Stone Age deposits macroscopically appear homogeneous, micromorphological analysis reveals the existence of primary, unaltered depositional microlayering throughout the sequence. Sediments related to combustion activities on-site are observed in both the Holocene and Pleistocene deposits. Post-depositional geochemical alterations result in the formation of several phosphatic minerals that significantly affect the site's preservation conditions. One of those is vashegyite, a rare magnesium phosphate mineral related to acidic and moist sedimentary environments. Bioturbation features are prominent at the microscale, but sediment mixing does not seem to affect the vertical distribution of the artifacts. The observation of horizontal microlayering in both the Pleistocene and Holocene illuminates the dominant mechanism of sedimentation throughout the site's 70,000-year occupational history. It moreover shows that the lithics can be analysed as coherent assemblages.     

路南石林喀斯特的形态特征及地质演化

石林喀期特是喀斯特地貌中的一种极端形式，主要由表面溶良发育，高达３０￣５０ｍ的剑状石峰、石柱组成。同世界其他一些著名的剑状喀期特相比，路南石林喀斯特具有最为复杂的地质演化历史和最为多样的形态。研究表明：自２亿５千万年前早二叠世末期首次出现石牙以来，石林的发育经历了四大演化阶段；石林的形成是有利的地质、水文、气候条件综合作用的结果，而土下溶蚀是主要形成机理。剑状、峰状、塔状、蘑茹状及其他不规则状为石     

Geochronological arguments for a close relationship between surficial formation profiles and environmental crisis (c. 3000–2000 BP) in Gabon (Central Africa)

We present new ¹⁴C data on charcoal fragments recovered from the lower (coarse-grained Stone Line) and upper (fine-grained Cover Horizon) portions of surficial formation profiles in Gabon. These data and others compiled from the literature enable a reconstruction of the Upper Holocene geological regional history of Gabon. The connection between the geological events recorded in the surficial formations and the Upper Holocene environmental crisis is discussed and a scenario connecting geological events with climatic and environmental changes is proposed. Such a scenario suggests that following the climatic crisis, the reconstitution of soils by aeolian sedimentation could have been an important factor of Bantu expansion.