Gibbsitic soils on former nunataks: implications for ice sheet reconstruction

X-ray diffraction analyses of soils above and below a periglacial trimline developed across the basalts of the Trotternish Escarpment (Isle of Skye, Scotland) demonstrate that gibbsite is restricted to soils above the trimline. This suggests that the gibbsite is a relict of pre-Late Devensian weathering, and that the trimline did not develop after the last ice sheet achieved its maximum thickness. The sharpness of the boundary between frost-weathered regolith and gibbsitic soils upslope and ice-scoured bedrock associated with gibbsite-free soils downslope suggests that the trimline represents the altitude of the last ice sheet at its maximum thickness rather than a former boundary between passive cold-based ice and erosive warm-based ice. These findings illustrate how identification of high-level periglacial trimlines and associated contrasts in clay mineralogy provide a means for constraining reconstructions of the form of the last ice sheets.     

The surface geometry of the Last Glacial Maximum ice sheet in the Andøya-Skånland region, northern Norway, constrained by surface exposure dating and clay mineralogy

Blockfields, weathering boundaries and marginal moraines have been mapped along a longitudinal transect from northern Andøya to Skånland in northern Norway. The degree of rock-surface weathering above and below glacial trimlines, clay-mineral assemblages and surface exposure dating based on in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be have been used to reconstruct the vertical dimensions and timing of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in this region. The cosmogenic exposure dates suggest that the lower blockfield boundary/trimline along the Andøya-Skånland transect represents the upper limit of the Late Weichselian ice sheet, with an average surface gradient of c . 9.5 m/km. The surface exposure dates from Andøya pre-date the LGM, suggesting that the LGM ice sheet did not reach mountain plateaux at northwest Andøya. The results thus support evidence from lake sediment records that the northern tip of Andøya was not covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the LGM.     

Periglacial trimlines and nunataks of the Last Glacial Maximum: the Gap of Dunloe,southwest Ireland

During the last main phase of glaciation (26–13 ka) an ice‐cap developed in southwest Ireland and ice, from a dispersal centre in the vicinity of Kenmare, flowed north through the Gap of Dunloe in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks. On surrounding hillsides a weathering limit separates ice‐moulded bedrock, on low ground, from frost‐weathered terrain above. Assessment of bedrock dilation joint characteristics, Schmidt hammer R‐value data and clay‐sized mineral contents of basal soil samples, demonstrate significant contrasts in the degree of weathering above and below this limit. The weathering limit declines in altitude along former ice flow‐lines and is confluent with morainic deposits on the eastern side of the Gap. This supports the assertion that the high‐level weathering limit is a periglacial trimline that marks the former maximum upper limit of the body of ice which occupied the Gap of Dunloe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Reconstruction of the former ice‐surface profile from periglacial trimline limits on the eastern side of the Gap yields a mean estimate for basal shear stress of 106.5 kPa. This value suggests that the ice mass which occupied the Gap of Dunloe at the LGM was warm based and flowed on a bedrock substrate. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The last ice sheet in Snowdonia

In Snowdonia there is a marked contrast between weathered summits, often with well‐developed blockfields or tors, and lower ice‐moulded terrain. The boundary is interpreted as a trimline marking the upper surface of the last ice sheet. This interpretation is supported by the presence of gibbsite, an end‐product of prolonged weathering, at the base of soils above but not below the trimline. The reconstructed ice surface reaches about 850 m above present sea‐level along an ice divide running NE–SW through the massif. There is no evidence to support the popular view that ice centred further south extended over Snowdonia, and breaching to form the major glacial troughs can be explained by the action of local ice. The field evidence presented here demonstrates that most models of the southern British and Irish Sea ice sheets are significantly flawed, the earliest being far too thick and the most recent far too thin. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The vertical extent of ice sheets in Nordfjord, western Norway: measuring degree of rock surface weathering

Degree of rock surface weathering was measured on sites in Oldedalen and Brigsdalen, where dates of deglaciation have been estimated. and on an altitudinal transect on the slopes of Skåla. representing one of the highest supra-marine reliefs in western Norway. The Schmidt hammer is useful only for distinguishing sites deglaciated during the Little Ice Age from those deglaciated during the Lateglacial and early Holocene. Degree of roughness of granitic augen gneiss bedrock surfaces was quantified from profiles measured in situ using a micro-roughness-meter and profile gauge. There is a significant increase in surface roughness above a clear trimline at c. 1350 m a.s.I. but no significant increase above a higher trimline previously proposed as the vertical limit of the last ice sheet in this area (c. 1560 m a.s.I.). The roughness of boulder surfaces on the summit blockfield does not direr significantly from the roughness of bedrock surfaces downslope as far as the lower trimline. These unexpected results suggest that bedrock surfaces between the two trimlines were not glacially abraded during the Late Weichselian, so that the upper trimline is unlikely to represent the vertical limit of ice during either the Late Weichselian or a subsequent readvance. Preliminary results of ¹⁰Be dating of surface quartz samples from above the lower trimline support the proposal that the site was not abraded during the last glaciation. The results can be interpreted in two ways: (1) The upper trimline represents the vertical limit of a pre-Late Weichselian advance. During the Late Weichselian the mountains were completely covered but surfaces down to the lower trimline were protected by cold-based ice. (2) The lower trimline marks the vertical limit of the Late Weichselian ice and the upper limit an older and more extensive glaciation.     

The vertical dimensions of Late Devensian glaciation on the mountains of Harris and southeast Lewis,Outer Hebrides,Scotland

On North Harris and southeast Lewis a weathering limit separates glacially-moulded bedrock on low ground from frost-shattered bedrock and blockfields on high plateaux. Analysis of the depths of horizontal stress-release joints demonstrates significant contrasts in bedrock weathering above and below this boundary, and the survival of gibbsite only in soils above the weathering limit indicates that it represents the upper limit of Late Devensian glacial erosion. The weathering limit declines regularly in altitude on either side of the former ice shed, and is therefore interpreted as a periglacial trimline defining the upper limit of a locally-nourished ice mass at its maximum extent, rather than a former thermal boundary between protective cold-based and erosive warm-based ice. Calculated basal shear stress values are consistent with this interpretation. The configuration of the trimline indicates that at the last glacial maximum the area supported an ice cap that achieved a maximum altitude of ca. 700 m above present sea level and declined in altitude to the west-northwest and east-southeast at an average gradient of ca. 20 m km^?1. Extrapolation of the dimensions of this ice cap suggests that it terminated ca. 7–10 km west of the present coast of Harris, and was confluent with mainland ice a short distance east of the present coastline.     

Sediment magnetic properties of glacial till deposited since the Little Ice Age maximum for selected glaciers at Svartisen and Okstindan, northern Norway

Samples of glacial till deposited since the Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum by two glaciers, North Bogbre at Svartisen and Corneliussen-breen at Okstindan, northern Norway, were obtained from transects running from the current glacier snout to the LIA (c. AD 1750) limit. The samples were analysed to determine their sediment magnetic properties, which display considerable variability. Significant trends in some magnetic parameters are evident with distance from the glacier margin and hence length of subaerial exposure. Magnetic susceptibility (χ) decreases away from the contemporary snout, perhaps due to the weathering of ferrimagnetic minerals into antiferromagnetic forms, although this trend is generally not statistically significant. Trends in the ratios of soft IRM/hard IRM which are statistically significant support this hypothesis, suggesting that antiferromagnetic minerals are increasing relative to ferrimagnetic minerals towards the LIA maximum. Backfield ratios (IRM -100 mT/SIRM) also display a significant and strong trend towards magnetically harder behaviour with proximity to the LIA maximum. Thus, by employing a chronosequence approach, it may be possible to use sediment magnetics data as a tool for reconstructing glacier retreat in areas where more traditional techniques, such as lichenometry, are not applicable.     

Environmental significance of magnetic properties of Gley soils near Rosslau (Germany)

Geophysical methods are widely applied to soils for resolving different tasks in precision agriculture, pollution evaluation, erosion estimation, etc. Environmental magnetic methods were applied in our study on a collection of soil samples from area near Rosslau (Germany), which was gathered on the basis of a field electromagnetic induction study. Magnetic laboratory analyses include magnetic susceptibility, isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), thermomagnetic analyses for determination of the kind of magnetic minerals present in soils. The results reveal the presence of statistically significant inverse correlations between magnetic susceptibility, as well as remanent magnetizations ARM and IRM, and conductivity values. This maybe ascribed to influence of topography and water regime on the iron oxide forms in soil and the influence of soil moisture on soil conductivity. Magnetic measurements on soil cores showed close correspondence between soil horizons outlined in 1 m-long cores, and depth changes in mass-specific magnetic susceptibility. Existing relationships between magnetic characteristics, soil reaction pH, and nutrients’ content (total nitrogen, carbon and sulphur) have been explored by cluster analysis and general regression model statistics. The results reveal the presence of significant correlations between nutrients’ content, magnetic susceptibility and the grain size sensitive ratio ARM/χ. These are expressed by numerical equations, representing pedotransfer functions, which predict the content of Nitrogen, Carbon and Sulphur through combination of magnetic parameters and soil pH. The obtained pedotransfer functions for the particular case of Gley soils and Fluvisols studied could be used for application of magnetic methods in agricultural practice as a fast and inexpensive proxy evaluation of the content of these nutrition elements.     

High-resolution reconstruction of the last ice sheet in NW Scotland

Reconstructions of the last (late Devensian) British ice sheet have hitherto been based on assumptions regarding its extent and form. Here we employ observational evidence for the maximum altitude of glacial erosion (trimlines) on mountains that protruded through the ice (palaeonunataks) to reconstruct the form of the ice sheet over ≈ 10 000 km² of NW Scotland. Contrasts in the clay mineralogy of soils and exposure ages of rock surfaces above and below these trimlines confirm that they represent the upper limit of late Devensian glacial erosion. The reconstruction yields realistic values of basal shear stress and is consistent with independent evidence of ice movement directions. The ice sheet reached ≈ 950 m altitude over the present N–S watershed, descended northwards and north-westwards, was deflected around an ice dome on Skye and an independent Outer Hebrides ice cap, and probably extended across the adjacent shelf on a bed of deforming sediments.     

Nunataks of the last ice sheet in northwest Scotland

High-level weathering limits separating ice-scoured topography from an upper zone of frost-weathered detritus were identified on 17 mountains in NW Scotland at altitudes of <600 m to< 900 m, and a further 6 peaks were found to support evidence of ice scouring to summit level. Weathering limits are most clearly defined on Torridon Sandstone, which is resistant to frost shattering, but can also be mapped on Cambrian Quartzite, Lewisian Gneiss and Moine Schist. Contrasts in degree of rock surface weathering above and below the weathering limits were evaluated using measurements of joint depth and rock surface hardness, and through X-ray diffraction analyses of clay mineral assemblages. The results indicate significantly more advanced rock and soil weathering above the weathering limits. Widespread persistence of gibbsite above the weathering limits suggests that they represent the upper limit of Late Devensian glacial erosion, and the regularity of the decline in weathering limit altitude along former flowlines eliminates the possibility that it represents a former thermal boundary between protective cold-based and erosive warm-based ice. The weathering limits are therefore interpreted as periglacial trimlines defining the maximum surface altitude of the last ice sheet around former nunataks. Calculated basal shear stresses of 50–78 kPa are consistent with this interpretation. The altitude of the trimlines implies that the former ice shed lay at 900–930 m in the Fannich Mountains and descended gently northwards, and that the ice surface descended NW from the ice shed to >500 m over the extreme NW tip of Scotland and to 700–730 m at the head of Little Loch Broom.     

Fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet recorded in the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of periglacial loess from Ukraine

The azimuth of imbrication of minimum magnetic susceptibility axes in the youngest loess from Ukraine defines prevailing wind directions during aeolian sedimentation. It changes along the studied sections. These changes can be directly correlated with the fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. The northern and northeastern winds noted in the loess succession separated by a period when southwestern to southeastern winds were predominant may be correlated with two main phases of ice‐sheet advance during the Last Glacial Maximum. The ice‐sheet advances towards the areas of loess deposition generated katabatic winds that influenced aeolian sedimentation in the periglacial zone. A period of relatively stable wind directions during a younger phase of the Last Glacial Maximum was interrupted by periods with more chaotic wind regime most probably caused by fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during its retreat from the peri‐Baltic part of Europe. These intervals occur where initial soils developed. The distribution of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility axes defined along the periglacial loess sections from central and eastern Europe can serve to constrain fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet.     

THE LAST ICE SHEET IN NORTH-WEST SCOTLAND: RECONSTRUCTION AND IMPLICATIONS

Recent models of the last Scottish ice sheet suggest that nunataks remained above the ice surface in areas peripheral to the main centres of accumulation. This proposition has been investigated on 140 mountains over an area of 10,000 km² in NW Scotland. Outside the limits of the later Loch Lomond Readvance in this area there is evidence for a single high-level weathering limit that separates glacially eroded terrain from higher areas of in situ frost debris. This limit occurs at altitudes ranging from 425 to 450 m in the Outer Hebrides to >950 m on the mainland, and is best developed on lithologies that resisted breakdown after ice-sheet downwastage. Interpretation of this weathering limit as a periglacial trimline cut by the last ice sheet at its maximum thickness is supported by: (1) joint-depth and Schmidt hammer measurements that indicate significantly more advanced rock breakdown above the weathering limit; (2) a much greater representation of gibbsite (a pre-Late Devensian weathering product) in the clay fraction of soils above the limit; (3) cosmogenic isotope dating of the exposure ages of rock outcrops above and below the limit; (4) the sharpness of the limit at some sites and its regular decline along former ice flowlines; and (5) shear stress calculations based on the inferred altitude and gradient of the former ice surface. Reconstruction of the ice surface based on trimline evidence indicates that the mainland ice shed lay near or slightly east of the present watershed and descended northwards from >900 m to ca. 550 m at the north coast. Independent dispersion centres fed broad ice streams that occupied major troughs. On Skye an ice dome >800 m deflected the northwestwards movement of mainland ice, but the mountains of Rum were over-ridden by mainland ice up to an altitude of ca. 700 m. The Outer Hebrides supported an independent ice cap that was confluent with mainland ice in the Minches. Extrapolation of the trimline evidence indicates that most reconstructions of ice extent are too conservative, and suggests that low-gradient ice streams extended across the Hebridean Shelf offshore. Wider implications of this research are: (1) that blockfields and other periglacial weathering covers are not all of the same age or significance, depending on the resistance of different lithologies to frost weathering; (2) that the contrasting degree of glacial modification in the Western and Eastern Highlands of Scotland may reflect a former cover of predominantly warm-based ice in the former and predominantly cold-based ice in the latter; and (3) that the approach and techniques developed in this study have potential application for constraining ice-sheet models, not only in areas peripheral to the main centres of ice accumulation in Britain and Ireland, but also in other mountain areas where nunataks protruded through warm-based Late Pleistocene ice masses.     

Influence of sedimentary setting on the use of magnetic susceptibility: examples from the Devonian of Belgium

Bulk magnetic susceptibility measurements on sedimentological samples from all geological periods have been used widely in the last two decades for correlations and as a proxy for sea‐level variations. This paper explores the link between magnetic susceptibility, depositional setting and environmental parameters. These environmental parameters include distal–proximal transects, microfacies successions and fourth‐order trends on different carbonate platform types (platform, ramp, carbonate mound or atoll) during different Devonian stages (Eifelian, Givetian and Frasnian). Average magnetic susceptibility values over a distal–proximal‐trending facies succession vary markedly with depositional setting. On carbonate platforms, average magnetic susceptibility generally increases towards the top of shallowing‐upward sequences. On a distal–proximal transect, average magnetic susceptibility is intermediate for the deepest facies, decreases for the reef belts and increases to a maximum in the back‐reef zone. In ramps and atolls, magnetic susceptibility trends clearly differ; average magnetic susceptibility generally decreases towards the top of shallowing‐upward sequences and is highest in the deepest facies. The strong relationship between magnetic susceptibility, facies and sequences implies a strong environmental influence. However, the different responses in the different platform types suggest that sea‐level changes leading to variation in detrital input is not the only parameter controlling average magnetic susceptibility values. Other primary or secondary processes also probably influenced magnetic mineral distribution. Primary processes such as carbonate production and water agitation during deposition are probably key factors. When carbonate production is high, the proportion of magnetic minerals is diluted and the magnetic susceptibility signal decreases. High water agitation during deposition will also selectively remove magnetic minerals and will lead to low average magnetic susceptibility values. These parameters explain the lowest values observed on the reef platform, inner ramp and atoll crown, which are all in areas characterized by higher carbonate production and greater water agitation during deposition. The lowest values observed in the lagoon inside the atoll crown can be related to detrital isolation by the atoll crown. However, other parameters such as biogenic magnetite production or diagenesis can also influence the magnetic signal. Diagenesis can change magnetism by creating or destroying magnetic minerals. However, the influence of diagenesis probably is linked strongly to the primary facies (permeability, amount of clay or organic matter) and probably enhanced the primary signal. The complexity of the signal gives rise to correlation problems between different depositional settings. Thus, while magnetic susceptibility has the potential to be an important correlation tool, the results of this investigation indicate that it cannot be used without consideration of sedimentary processes and depositional environments and without strong biostratigraphical control.     

Behavior of REE Fractionation during Weathering of Dolomite Regolith Profile in Southwest China

<正>REE fractionation during the weathering of dolomite has been recognized for decades.A regolith profile on dolomite in southwest Yunnan of China was selected to investigate the behaviors of REE during weathering.The weathering of dolomite is divided into two stages:the pedogenesis stage and soil evolution stage,corresponding to the saprolites and soils respectively in the regolith profile. SiO_2,TiO_2,P_2O_5,Zr,Hf,Nb and Ta were immobile components during the weathering by and large, while Al_2O_3,K_2O and Fe_2O_3 were lost during the soil evolution stage in the physical form(clay minerals probably).REE were fractionated during the whole weathering of dolomite.The field weathering profile and the lab acid-leaching experiments on dolomite indicate that MREE were enriched clearly relative to other REE during the pedogenesis stage in a "capillary ascending-adsorption" mechanism, but they did not fractionate clearly in the soil evolution stage.REE were lost and accumulated in the weathering front of dolomite during the soil evolution stage in a "physical-chemical leaching" mechanism.     

Magnetic susceptibility as a possible correlation tool in Quaternary alluvial stratigraphy

Correlation of the fluvial magnetic susceptibility (MS) record of borehole Devavanya‐1 in the Körös Basin (eastern Hungary) with Chinese aeolian MS records (Jingbian, Lingtai) and the marine δ¹⁸O record from the Equatorial Pacific (V28‐239) is established here based on cross‐correlations and singular spectral analysis. A basin‐scale well‐to‐well correlation based on magnetic susceptibility records was also performed involving unpublished cores. To refine the age model, a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted using the Chinese Jingbian section as a tuning target. Spectral analysis of the tuned record revealed c. 400, c. 100 and c. 41 ka cycles over the 2.5 million years of the Quaternary fluvial succession. To ensure a complementary palaeoclimate proxy, the full width at half maximum of smectites was measured as a facies‐independent indicator of weathering intensity. This investigation was carried out on a subset of samples involved in MS measurements representing a c. 400 ka time interval across the top of the Olduvai subchron. A phase‐shift between MS and weathering intensity recorded in the clay mineralogy indicates different response times of the considered proxies. The fluvial MS record is determined by the climatic control on delivery and preservation of magnetic minerals, mainly of magnetite. Under cold‐and‐dry climate these minerals were released owing to frost shattering in the adjacent hinterlands and were transported to alluvial plains in the early postglacial periods thanks to the increasing discharge of rivers. With further warming the weathering‐sensitive magnetic minerals soon disappeared from the soils of the catchment area and thus from the fluvial load. As a result, in fluvial successions early postglacial warmings are expressed by the occurrences of MS maxima (magnetic episodes), while the palaeotemperature maximum and the subsequent cooling remain concealed within the tract of low MS values. The early postglacial magnetic episodes may serve as ideal stratigraphical markers in regional and global correlations.     

Geochemical characteristics and depositional environment of the Middle Permian mudstones from central Qiangtang Basin,northern Tibet

Geochemical characteristics of the Middle Permian mudstones from the Longge Formation in the Jiaomuri area, central uplift zone of Qiangtang Basin have been analysed to constrain their provenance, tectonic setting, depositional redox condition and palaeoclimate. Based on the geochemical parameters like CIA, PIA, ICV values and Th/U, K/Rb ratios indicate that the source rocks were affected by low degree weathering conditions. The U/Th, V/Cr, Ni/Co, V/Sc ratios and U_au, C‐values of samples suggest that the mudstones were formed in an oxic environment, with arid palaeoclimate. Bulk‐rock geochemistry analysis indicates that they are mainly arkose and subarkose, derived from dominantly andesitic rocks, probably a mixing of felsic and mafic provenance. The CIA, PIA and ICV values of these samples suggest that the Longge mudstones are compositionally immature and related to moderate weathering. The tectonic discrimination diagrams, as well as critical trace and REE characteristic parameters imply an oceanic arc or continental arc setting for the depositional basin of mudstones from the Longge Formation, probably back‐arc basin. This study supports an occurrence of archipelagic oceanic basins in the Jiaomuri area in the Middle Permian, which provides evidence for the research of the Longmu Co–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang Suture. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natural variations of δSi ratios during progressive basalt weathering, Hawaiian Islands

Silicon stable isotopes can be used to trace the biogeochemical pathways of Si as it moves from its continental sources to its sink in ocean sediments. Along the way, Si is incorporated into clay minerals, taken up by plants where it forms plant opal, and leached into rivers, the major land-to-ocean conduit. Compared to igneous rocks, the waters that drain continents are enriched in heavy Si isotopes, but the mechanisms that control fractionation have not been elucidated. We studied Si isotope fractionation along a 4 million yr basaltic soil chronosequence on the Hawaiian Islands. Using the natural context of these samples in combination with laboratory experiments, we demonstrate that the isotopic composition of dissolved Si in weathering systems is determined by the combined effects of rock disintegration, clay mineral neosynthesis, and Si biocycling. Weathering preferentially releases ²⁸Si into solution, whereas secondary mineral formation preferentially removes ²⁸Si from solution. In humid environments, leached soils have lost large amounts of this soluble Si, thus creating a net loss of ³⁰Si from the entire soil system. As soils develop and greater fractions of Si reside in neoformed clay minerals, δ³⁰Si_{bulk soil} values change progressively toward more negative values; basalt δ³⁰Si values are about −0.5‰, but older soils have δ³⁰Si values up to −2.5‰. The difference between the solid and solution δ³⁰Si values remains more or less constant with progressive weathering, and therefore, soil water from older soils has a more negative δ³⁰Si composition. In the upper horizons of the Hawaiian soils, this weathering-driven δ³⁰Si shift is modified by the addition of unweathered primary minerals via dust, carrying δ³⁰Si values of about −0.5‰, and by biocycling of Si via plants, producing negative δ³⁰Si values in phytoliths and positive δ³⁰Si values in soil solutions derived from upper horizons. Due to the high concentrations of dissolved Si in these near-surface layers, rivers have more positive δ³⁰Si values than predicted based on the weathering status of the lower horizons. When combined with published δ³⁰Si values from large rivers worldwide, we find that the results from Hawaii point to weathering control of Si isotopes delivered to the oceans, and thus, to an important continent-ocean linkage that warrants further investigation.     

中亚地区现代表土磁学特征及其古环境意义*

在中国西北地区主要沙漠、绿洲和戈壁及蒙古国南部戈壁等亚洲中部粉尘源区采集了表土(包括沙漠和土壤)样品,系统分析了样品的磁学性质(包括磁化率、无磁滞磁化率、等温剩磁、磁滞回线和热磁曲线)。结果表明,中亚地区表土样品中主要磁性矿物是铁磁矿,含有赤铁矿和磁赤铁矿,并伴有少量顺磁性矿物;磁性矿物粒度主要是准单畴(PSD)和多畴(MD),超顺磁性颗粒含量较低,接近于中国西部黄土地层含量。中亚地区表土磁性矿物含量总体都较低,磁性矿物含量在空间上与降雨量成正比。研究结果指示西部地区(准噶尔盆地和南部塔里木盆地)表土样品较北部地区(鄂尔多斯高原、阿拉善高原以及蒙古高原)表土样品,其粗颗粒磁性矿物含量高,而细颗粒磁性矿物含量低。本研究结果为黄土地层古土壤磁性增强源自成土过程提供了最直接的证据。     

Trace elements and REE fractionation in subsoils developed on sedimentary and volcanic rocks: case study of the Mt. Vulture area,southern Italy

There is an increasing interest in the distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) within soils, primarily as these elements can be used to identify pedogenetic processes and because soils may be future sources for REE extraction, despite much attention should be paid to the protection and preservation of present soils. Here, we evaluate the processes that control the distribution of REEs in subsoil horizons developed over differing lithologies in an area of low anthropogenic contamination, allowing estimates of the importance of source rocks and weathering. Specifically, this study presents new data on the distribution of REEs and other trace elements, including transition and high-field-strength elements, in subsoils developed on both Quaternary silica-undersaturated volcanic rocks and Pliocene siliciclastic sedimentary rocks within the Mt. Vulture area of the southern Apennines in Italy. The subsoils in the Mt. Vulture area formed during moderate weathering (as classified using the chemical index of alteration) and contain an assemblage of secondary minerals that is dominated by trioctahedral illite with minor vermiculite. The REEs, high-field-strength elements, and transition metals have higher abundances in subsoils that developed from volcanic rocks, and pedogenesis caused the Mt. Vulture subsoils to have REE concentrations that are an order of magnitude higher than typical values for the upper continental crust. This result indicates that the distribution of REEs in soils is a valuable tool for mineral exploration. A statistical analysis of inter-elemental relationships indicates that REEs are concentrated in clay-rich fractions that also contain significant amounts of low-solubility elements such as Zr and Th, regardless of the parent rock. This suggests that low-solubility refractory minerals, such as zircon, play a significant role in controlling the distribution of REEs in soils. The values of (La/Yb)_N and (Gd/Yb)_N fractionation indices are dependent on the intensity of pedogenesis; soils in the study area have values that are higher than typical upper continental crust ratios, suggesting that soils, especially those that formed during interaction with near neutral to acidic organic-rich surface waters, may represent an important source of both light REEs and medium REEs (MREEs). In comparison, MREE/heavy REE fractionation in soils that form during moderate weathering may be affected by variations in parent rock lithologies, primarily as MREE-hosting minerals, such as pyroxenes, may control (La/Sm)_N index values. Eu anomalies are thought to be the most effective provenance index for sediments, although the anomalies within the soils studied here are not related to the alteration of primary minerals, including feldspars, to clay phases. In some cases, Eu/Eu* values may have a weak correlation with elements hosted by heavy minerals, such as Zr; this indicates that the influence of mechanical sorting of clastic particles during sedimentary transport on the Eu/Eu* values of siliciclastic sediments needs to be considered carefully.     

风化作用对铁陨石矿物学特征影响的探讨

本文对南丹IIICD铁陨石的矿物学特征进行了研究,并与同为铁陨石但化学分类不同的阿根廷IAB铁陨石和西伯利亚IIB铁陨石进行了对比,重点探讨了风化作用对铁陨石矿物学特征的影响.首先用偏光显微镜、静水称重、扫描电镜观察了样品的基本矿物学特征和微形貌特征,然后用振动式样品磁强计、X射线衍射与电子探针能谱半定量测试研究了样品的磁学性质、物相和化学组成.研究结果表明,南丹铁陨石在较强的自然风化作用下,光泽变弱为土状光泽,相对密度降低;风化产生的反铁磁性物质会使陨石的磁性下降;另外,样品表面物相组成也发生较大变化,以针铁矿(FeOOH)和磁铁矿(Fe₃O₄)等铁的次生矿物为主;但风化壳以下的矿物物相及化学成分均未发生明显变化,以Fe、Ni为主的铁纹石、镍纹石物相存在.