Chronostratigraphic studies of sediments in the Negev desert, using amino acid epimerization analysis of land snail shells

The chronostratigraphy of mostly Holocene sediments in the Northern Negev desert of Israel was studied through amino acid epimerization analysis (alloisoleucine/isoleucine ratio, A/I) of individual land snail shells and ¹⁴C analysis of bulk samples of land snail shells contained within the sediments. Analysis of 31 deposits shows a very strong correlation between A/I and ¹⁴C age. A/I analyses indicate that age mixtures occur within all colluvial and in some fluvial deposits. Consequently, radiocarbon dates of bulk samples, which give an average age, overestimate the time of deposition. Sedimentation rates were generally rapid in both fluvial and colluvial deposits. Colluviation shows a maximum in the early Holocene and decreases progressively thereafter, in accordance with the change in average rainfall. Accumulation of fluvial sediments shows a distinct mid-Holocene maximum and apparently relates to the interaction between variation in rainfall, extent of bedrock exposure, and vegetation density. Late Holocene fluvial deposition may relate to agricultural activity. The understanding of the chronology of sedimentation is dependent on an integrated approach employing amino acid epimerization analysis to study age variation within a layer and ¹⁴C analyses for establishment of an absolute chronology.     

Recognition of earthquake-related damage in archaeological sites: Examples from the Dead Sea fault zone

Archaeological structures that exhibit seismogenic damage expand our knowledge of temporal and spatial distribution of earthquakes, afford independent examination of historical accounts, provide information on local earthquake intensities and enable the delineation of macroseismic zones. They also illustrate what might happen in future earthquakes. In order to recover this information, we should be able to distinguish earthquake damage from anthropogenic damage and from other natural processes of wear and tear. The present paper reviews several types of damage that can be attributed with high certainty to earthquakes and discusses associated caveats. In the rare cases, where faults intersect with archaeological sites, offset structures enable precise determination of sense and size of slip, and constrain its time. Among the characteristic off-fault damage types, I consider horizontal shifting of large building blocks, downward sliding of one or several blocks from masonry arches, collapse of heavy, stably-built walls, chipping of corners of building blocks, and aligned falling of walls and columns. Other damage features are less conclusive and require additional evidence, e.g., fractures that cut across several structures, leaning walls and columns, warps and bulges in walls. Circumstantial evidence for catastrophic earthquake-related destruction includes contemporaneous damage in many sites in the same area, absence of weapons or other anthropogenic damage, stratigraphic data on collapse of walls and ceilings onto floors and other living horizons and burial of valuable artifacts, as well as associated geological palaeoseismic phenomena such as liquefaction, land- and rock-slides, and fault ruptures. Additional support may be found in reliable historical accounts. Special care must be taken in order to avoid circular reasoning by maintaining the independence of data acquisition methods.     

Oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of modern land snail shells as environmental indicators from a low-latitude oceanic island

Land snails provide a unique opportunity to study terrestrial paleoenvironments because their shells, which are generally highly abundant and well-preserved in the fossil record, contain a temporal record of environmental change in the form of isotope codes. To evaluate the utility of this approach for a low-latitude oceanic setting, 207 modern shells of 18 species of land snail were analyzed for their oxygen and carbon isotope composition along a north and south facing altitudinal gradient (10-2160 m a.s.l.) in Tenerife Island (∼28°N) of the Canary Archipelago.Shells collected at each locality showed a relatively large range in isotope composition which was greater along the south facing transect (drier and hotter), suggesting that the variance in shell isotope values may be related to water-stress. Although pooled isotope values did not generally show strong relationships with environmental variables (i.e., altitude, temperature and precipitation), mean isotope values were strongly associated with some climatic factors when grouped by site. The mean δ¹⁸O value of the shell (δ¹⁸O_shell) by site displayed a negative correlation with elevation, which is consistent with the positive relationship observed between temperature and the δ¹⁸O value of rain (δ¹⁸O_rain). Calculated δ¹⁸O values of the snail body water (δ¹⁸O_body) derived from observed temperatures and δ¹⁸O_shell values (using the equation of Grossman and Ku [Grossman E. L. and Ku T. L. (1986) Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation in biogenic aragonite. Chem. Geol. (Isotope Geosci. Sec.)59, 59-74]) displayed a trend with respect to altitude that was similar to measured and hypothetical δ¹⁸O values for local rain water. The calculated δ¹⁸O_body values from the shell declined 0.17‰ (VSMOW) per 100 m, which is consistent with the “altitude effect” observed for tropical rains in Western Africa, and it correlated negatively with rainfall amount. Accordingly, lower δ¹⁸O_shell values indicate lower temperatures, lower δ¹⁸O_rain values and possibly, higher rainfall totals. A positive correlation between the mean δ¹³C values of shells (δ¹³C_shell) and plants by site suggests that shells potentially record information about the surrounding vegetation. The δ¹³C_shell values varied between −15.7 and −0.6‰ (VPDB), indicating that snails consumed C₃ and C₄/CAM plants, where more negative δ¹³C_shell values probably reflects the preferential consumption of C₃ plants which are favored under wetter conditions. Individuals with more positive δ¹³C_shell values consumed a larger percentage of C₄ plants (other potential factors such as carbonate ingestion or atmospheric CO₂ contribution were unlikely) that were more common at lower elevations of the hotter and drier south facing transect. The relatively wide range of shell isotope values within a single site requires the analysis of numerous shells for meaningful paleoclimatic studies. Although small differences were observed in isotope composition among snail species collected at a single sampling site, they were not significant, suggesting that isotope signatures extracted from multi-taxa snail data sets may be used to infer environmental conditions over a broad range of habitats.     

Paleoenvironment of the Folsom archaeological site, New Mexico, USA, approximately 10,500 C yr B.P. as inferred from the stable isotope composition of fossil land snail shells

Well-preserved aragonitic land snail shells (Vallonia) from late Pleistocene Eolian sediment in the Folsom archaeological site in New Mexico exhibit an overall decrease of δ¹⁸O_PDB from maximum values of +2.7‰ (more positive than modern) to younger samples with lower average values of about −3.6‰ (within the modern range). The age of the samples (approximately 10,500 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) suggests that the decrease in δ¹⁸O may manifest climatic changes associated with the Younger Dryas. Some combination of increased relative humidity and cooler temperatures with decreased δ¹⁸O of precipitation during the times of snail activity can explain the decrease in shell δ¹⁸O. A well-known Paleoindian bison kill occurred at the Folsom site during this inferred environmental transition.Average δ¹³C values of the aragonite shells of the fossil Vallonia range from −7.3 to −6.0‰ among different archaeological levels and are not as negative as modern values. This suggests that the proportion of C₄ vegetation at the Folsom site approximately 10,500 ¹⁴C yr B.P. was greater than at present; a result which is consistent with other evidence for higher proportions of C₄ plants in the region at that time.     

Pleistocene–Holocene environmental change in the Canary Archipelago as inferred from the stable isotope composition of land snail shells

The isotopic composition of land snail shells was analyzed to investigate environmental changes in the eastern Canary Islands (28–29°N) over the last ~ 50 ka. Shell δ¹³C values range from −8.9‰ to 3.8‰. At various times during the glacial interval (~ 15 to ~ 50 ka), moving average shell δ¹³C values were 3‰ higher than today, suggesting a larger proportion of C₄ plants at those periods. Shell δ¹⁸O values range from −1.9‰ to 4.5‰, with moving average δ¹⁸O values exhibiting a noisy but long-term increase from 0.1‰ at ~ 50 ka to 1.6–1.8‰ during the LGM (~ 15–22 ka). Subsequently, the moving average δ¹⁸O values range from 0.0‰ at ~ 12 ka to 0.9‰ at present. Calculations using a published snail flux balance model for δ¹⁸O, constrained by regional temperatures and ocean δ¹⁸O values, suggest that relative humidity at the times of snail activity fluctuated but exhibited a long-term decline over the last ~ 50 ka, eventually resulting in the current semiarid conditions of the eastern Canary Islands (consistent with the aridification process in the nearby Sahara). Thus, low-latitude oceanic island land snail shells may be isotopic archives of glacial to interglacial and tropical/subtropical environmental change.     

Occurrence of hypogenic caves in a karst region: Examples from central Italy

The caves of the Umbria and Marche regions in central Italy are made up of three-dimensional maze systems that display different general morphologies due to the various geological and structural contexts. At the same time, the internal morphologies of the passages, galleries, and shafts present some similarity, with solutional galleries characterized by cupolas and blind pits, anastamotic passages, roof pendants, and phreatic passages situated at different levels. Some of these caves are still active, as is the case for Frassassi Gorge, Parrano Gorge, and Acquasanta Terme, with galleries that reach the phreatic zone, where there is a rising of highly mineralized water, rich in hydrosulfydric acid, and with erosion of limestone walls and the formation of gypsum. Elsewhere there are fossil caves, such as Monte Cucco and Pozzi della Piana, where large speleothems of gypsum are present 500 m or more above the regional water table. In all of these important karst systems it is possible to recognize basal input points through fracture and intergranular porosity networks at the base of the oxidizing zone in the core of the anticline, where mineralized water rises up from the Triassic evaporitic layers in small hydrogeological circuits. Different underground morphologies can derive from the presence of a water table related to an external stream or from the confined setting of the carbonate rocks, underlying low permeable sedimentary cover, where artesian conditions can occur.     

Tectonic evolution of high-grade metamorphic terranes in central Vietnam: Constraints from large-scale monazite geochronology

Several metamorphic complexes in Southeast Asia have been interpreted as Precambrian basement, characterized by amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism. In this paper, we re-evaluate the timing of this thermal event based on the large-scale geochronology and compositional variation of monazites from amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphic terranes in central Vietnam. Most of the samples in this study are from metamorphic rocks (n = 38) and granitoids (n = 11) in the Kontum Massif. Gneisses (n = 6) and granitoids (n = 5) from the Hai Van Migmatite Complex and the Truong Son Belt, located to the north of the massif, were also studied. Two distinct thermal episodes (245–230 Ma and 460–430 Ma) affected Kontum Massif gneisses, while a single dominant event at 240–220 Ma is recorded in the gneisses from the Hai Van Complex and the Truong Son Belt. Monazites from granitoids commonly yield an age of 240–220 Ma. Mesoproterozoic ages (1530–1340 Ma) were obtained only from monazite cores that are surrounded by c. 440 Ma overgrowths. Thermobarometric results, combined with concentrations of Y₂O₃, Ce₂O₃, and heavy rare earth elements in monazite, and recently reported pressure–temperature paths suggest that Triassic ages correspond to retrograde metamorphism following decompression from high- to medium-pressure/temperature conditions. Ordovician–Silurian ages reflect low-pressure/temperature metamorphism accompanied by isobaric heating during prograde metamorphism. Some samples were affected by both metamorphic events. We conclude that high-grade metamorphism observed in so-called Precambrian basement terranes in central Vietnam occurred during both the Permian–Triassic and the Ordovician–Silurian, while peraluminous granitoid magmatism is Triassic. Additionally, our preliminary analyses for U–Pb zircon age and whole-rock chemistry of granitic gneisses from the Truong Song Belt suggests the presence of the Ordovician–Silurian volcanic arc magmatism in the region. Based on the pressure–temperature–time–protolith evolutions, metamorphic rocks from central Vietnam provide a continuous record of subduction–accretion–collision tectonics between the South China and Indochina blocks: in the Ordovician–Silurian, the region was characterized by active continental margin tectonics, followed by continental collision during the Late Permian to Early Triassic and subsequent exhumation during the Late Triassic. The results also suggest that the timing of metamorphism and protolith formation as well as the geochemical features in other Southeast Asian terranes should be verified to achieve a better understanding of the Precambrian to Early Mesozoic tectonic history in Asia.     

Alternative kinetic models for the interpretation of amino acid enantiomeric ratios in Pleistocene mollusks: Examples from California, Washington, and Florida

Alternative kinetic models for amino acid racemization in Pleistocene molluscan samples are compared by examination of results for samples from marine Pleistocene deposits in California, Washington, and Florida. Linear kinetic models previously have been applied to the Florida samples [Mitterer, R.M. (1975). Earth and Planetary Science Letters 28, 275–282.] because these kinetics were observed in laboratory pyrolysis experiments with the particular genus involved (Mercenaria). Nonlinear kinetic models, extrapolated from deep-sea foraminifera racemization kinetics, are applied to samples of Protothaca and Saxidomus from California and Washington and seem more consistent with their local chronologic and stratigraphic control. Average or effective diagenetic temperatures can be estimated by each of these models if reliably dated samples are available. Linear models applied to such samples from California and Florida suggest average diagenetic temperatures that are cooler (by as much as 10°C) than would be inferred from available paleoclimatic records. Nonlinear kinetic models yield estimates of average diagenetic temperatures that are more consistent with these records: full-glacial (i.e., approximately 18,000 yr BP) temperature reductions of between 2 and 6°C are inferred for coastal California and southern Florida. The nonlinear kinetic model is used to expand (by a factor of 2.5 to 3.0) the time scale proposed by Mitterer (1975) for five marine Pleistocene units of Florida.     

Electron microprobe monazite geochronology of magmatic events: Examples from Variscan migmatites and granitoids, Massif Central, France

U–Th–Pb dating of monazite with the electron probe microanalyser (EPMA) is increasingly documented as a reliable geochronological method offering high spatial resolution. This method has been applied on monazite from the Cévennes migmatites and granitoids from the southeast of the French Massif Central. Measurements were performed on separated grains after systematic back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging. Monazites from migmatites record two main ages: (i) a protolith age of about 550–543 Ma obtained on inherited cores, and (ii) a migmatization event between 329 ± 5 and 323 ± 3 Ma recorded by monazite rims and all other monogenetic grains. Monazite from the peraluminous Rocles pluton yields a 318 ± 3 Ma age. Finally, three granite dykes are dated at 333 ± 6, 318 ± 5 and 311 ± 5 Ma; the older dyke is the most deformed of them and is interpreted as linked to the migmatization event; the two other dykes are geochronologically, petrologically and structurally coeval with the Rocles pluton. The data constrain the timing of crustal melting following Variscan thickening in the northern Cévennes area. Migmatization of Ordovician protoliths took place at 329–323 Ma and was shortly followed by intrusion of leucogranite at 318–311 Ma. The study shows that EPMA dating of monazite can be successfully used to resolve a close succession of regional melting events.     

Sourcing fire ash on archaeological sites in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland,using mineral magnetism

The application of a new technique developed to identify different fuel sources from ash on nine archaeological sites in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland is presented. The technique is based on variations observed in the mineral magnetic signatures that derive from the experimental burning of different fuels. The application of the technique is successful, demonstrating both uniformity and diversity in fuel use. A marked continuity of practice in fuel procurement is apparent over thousands of years from seven sites in Lewis, with well‐humified peat the dominant fuel source. This implies a long‐term stability in the division and tenure of the peatlands. Greater magnetic variation is displayed by the samples from Cladh Hallan, South Uist, and Scatness, Shetland, suggesting more diverse fuel procurement strategies were in operation at these sites. The uniformity and diversity in fuel types also has implications in terms of the residuality of plant remains from the fuel source within archaeobotanical assemblages recovered from the sites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A review of amino acid racemization studies in Quaternary mollusks: Stratigraphic and chronologic applications in coastal and interglacial sites,pacific and Atlantic coasts,United States,United Kingdom,baffin Island,and tropical islands

Amino acid racemization (AAR) studies of Quaternary mollusks (mostly marine mollusks from coastal deposits) are reviewed. Data obtained in regional studies from the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts, Baffin Island, the United Kingdom, and tropical islands are discussed as they relate to method evaluation, kinetic model development, and aminostratigraphic applications.U.S. Pacific coast studies have been employed for estimating tectonic deformation rates, study of molluscan zonation patterns in the late Pleistocene, and in kinetic model evaluation. U.S. Atlantic coast studies have identified multiple aminostratigraphic zones in areas with complex morphostratigraphic relationships, and have also revealed some important conflicts between aminostratigraphic temperature concepts and radiometric data. Studies in the United Kingdom, involving coastal sites and non-marine interglacial sites, identify some stratigraphic and kinetic conflicts but provide a preliminary chronostratigraphic model for the classical interglacial terminology of the U.K. middle to late Pleistocene. Baffin Island studies, involving AAR data and UTh dating of shells, have resulted in some significant revisions of previous chronologic models. The Arctic environment has also stimulated some novel approaches in the collection and interpretation of AAR results. Tropical island studies, though few in number, aid in calibration of observed racemization and also aid in correlation of coastal deposits with late Pleistocene isotopic ice-volume records.     

Assessment of shallow landslides from Hurricane Mitch in central America using a physically based model

Shallow landslides induced by heavy rainfall events represent one of the most disastrous hazards in mountainous regions because of their high frequency and rapid mobility. Recent advancements in the availability and accessibility of remote sensing data, including topography, land cover and precipitation products, allow landslide hazard assessment to be considered at larger spatial scales. A theoretical framework for a landslide forecasting system was prototyped in this study using several remotely sensed and surface parameters. The applied physical model SLope-Infiltration-Distributed Equilibrium (SLIDE) takes into account some simplified hypotheses on water infiltration and defines a direct relation between factor of safety and the rainfall depth on an infinite slope. This prototype model is applied to a case study in Honduras during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Two study areas were selected where a high density of shallow landslides occurred, covering approximately 1,200 km². The results were quantitatively evaluated using landslide inventory data compiled by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) following Hurricane Mitch’s landfall. The agreement between the SLIDE modeling results and landslide observations demonstrates good predictive skill and suggests that this framework could serve as a potential tool for the future early landslide warning systems. Results show that within the two study areas, the values of rates of successful estimation of slope failure locations reached as high as 78 and 75%, while the error indices were 35 and 49%. Despite positive model performance, the SLIDE model is limited by several assumptions including using general parameter calibration rather than in situ tests and neglecting geologic information. Advantages and limitations of this physically based model are discussed with respect to future applications of landslide assessment and prediction over large scales.     

Amino acid ratios in Quaternary molluscs and foraminifera from western Norway: correlation, geochronology and paleotemperature estimates

Isoleucine epimerization (alle/Ue) ratios in the pelecypod Mya truncata and benthic foraminifer Cibicides lobalulus from emerged marine units in western Norway allow construction of a regional relative chronostratigraphy for the Ecmian and Weichselian. Two in situ interglacial sections are considered correlative by the similar biostratigraphy and alle/Ile ratios in C. lobalulus. Overlying sediments at the two sites are of both marine and glacial origin. Neither site contains a complete Weichselian record, but allelic ratios, lithostratigraphy and fauna! changes suggest at least four stadial and three interstadial events occurred along the western Norwegian coast during Early and Middle Weichselian time. Kinetic data defining the relationship between the isoleucine epimerization rate constant and temperature for the species studied allow the estimation of paleotemperatures for samples of known age. Accepting published age estimates for the Eemian interglacial beds, the average Weichselian temperature in western Norway is calculated to have been ca. 4°C below the average Holocene temperature, whereas the last interglacial was 1 to 2°C warmer that the Holocene. The limited temperature depression over this region during the Weichselian implies that coastal western Norway was ice-covered only about 30% of this period, and that Atlantic water, although not necessarily in a warm surface current as today, entered the Norwegian Sea during much of marine isotope stage 5 and intermittently during stage 3. Interpolated amino acid ages date interstadial events at ca. 94 ka, 78 ka and 52 ka, B.P., whereas glacial events are dated ca. 103 ka and bracketed by limiting dates between 78 and 89 ka, between 52 and 63 ka and less than 36 ka B.P.     

The incorporation of environmental considerations into the analysis of industrial agglomerations — Examples from the petrochemical industry in Texas and Louisiana

Most analyses of agglomeration in manufacturing evaluate the merits of clustered and dispersed spatial arrangements of plants in terms of their effects upon the profitability of individual enterprises. However, the problem of defining optimal levels of agglomeration becomes very much more acute if the costs and benefits are considered with reference to society as a whole. Examples of air and water pollution from petrochemical plants in Texas and Louisiana are used to illustrate these difficulties. It is argued that the technology and economics of pollution control have tended to reinforce the cost advantages to industry of agglomeration in large complexes despite the fact that major concentrations of polluting industries may be regarded, from a broader environmental perspective, as intrinsically undesirable.     

Marine inundated archaeological sites and paleofluvial systems: examples from a karst-controlled continental shelf setting in Apalachee Bay,Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Underwater geoarchaeological research in Apalachee Bay, in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico off northwest Florida, has enabled the reconstruction of portions of the karst-controlled paleodrainage system, the discovery of several inundated prehistoric archaeological sites, and the exposure of sediments accumulated during the drowning of the continental shelf. Diagnostic artifacts discovered at the sites included chipped stone tools and debitage indicating Paleoindian, Early Archaic, and Middle Archaic occupation. A geoarchaeological model using terrestrial analogs was used to locate and investigate inundated sites. Methods employed include seismic profiling, vibracoring, diver tow surveys, diver collection transects, and induction dredge excavations. We document evidence for sea-level rise, related environmental succession and site formation processes for indundated prehistoric sites in the Apalachee Bay region from approximately 8000 to 6000 yr B.P. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Geochemistry and geochronology of mafic rocks from the Spanish Central System:Constraints on the mantle evolution beneath central Spain

The Spanish Central System(SCS) contains several suites of Palaeozoic mafic igneous intrusions with contrasting geochemical affinity:Ordovician tholeiitic metabasites,Variscan calc-alkaline gabbros(Gb1) and microdiorites(Gb2),shoshonitic monzogabbros(Gb3) and alkaline diabases and lamprophyres(Gb4).Not all of these rocks are accurately dated,and several aspects of their genesis are still poorly understood.We present new whole-rock geochemical data(major and trace elements,and Sr-Nd isotopes),U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic ratios on magmatic zircons and 40 Ar/~(39)Ar amphibole geochronology results in order to establish a precise chronology for the successive events of magmatism in the SCS,and discuss the nature of their mantle sources.Accurate ages have been determined for the Variscan gabbros(305-294 Ma),the microdiorites(299 Ma) and the accompanying felsic porphyries(292 Ma),the shoshonitic monzogabbros(285 Ma),and the alkaline diabases(274 Ma) and monzosyenites(271-264 Ma).According to this information,the Variscan mafic magmatism would be mainly concentrated in the range of 305-294 Ma,with a final manifestation represented by the minor shoshonitic dykes.The alkaline magmatism proved to be slightly older than previously thought and yielded at least two distinct pulses:diabases and lamprophyres-monzosyenites.Zircon Hf isotopes evidence the involvement of depleted and slightly enriched mantle sources.The bulk of the eHf values are in the broad range of-8 to+11,indicative of melting both depleted and enriched mantle regions.The high within-sample Hf isotope variation(up to-11 epsilon units) shown by samples from the Variscan series(gabbros,microdiorites and monzogabbros) could be explained mainly by hybridisation of magmas derived from heterogeneous lithospheric mantle sources.Pressure estimates indicate that the Variscan mafic magmas were extracted from the lithosphere.The Nd-Hf isotopic composition of these suites of rocks suggests the recycling of pelitic sediments during the Cadomian orogeny.Deeper(asthenospheric) mantle levels were involved in the generation of the alkaline suite,whose anomalous negative eHf values(moderately decoupled with respect to radiogenic Nd) could be associated with subducted oceanic components raised by mantle upwelling associated with lithosphere thinning and extension during the Permian.     

Petrology,geochemistry and geochronology of the magmatic suite from the Jianzha Complex,central China: Petrogenesis and geodynamic implications

The intermediate–mafic–ultramafic rocks in the Jianzha Complex (JZC) at the northern margin of the West Qinling Orogenic Belt have been interpreted to be a part of an ophiolite suite. In this study, we present new geochronological, petrological, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data and provide a different interpretation. The JZC is composed of dunite, wehrlite, olivine clinopyroxenite, olivine gabbro, gabbro, and pyroxene diorite. The suite shows characteristics of Alaskan-type complexes, including (1) the low CaO concentrations in olivine; (2) evidence of crystal accumulation; (3) high calcic composition of clinopyroxene; and (4) negative correlation between FeO^tot and Cr₂O₃ of spinels. Hornblende and phlogopite are ubiquitous in the wehrlites, but minor orthopyroxene is also present. Hornblende and biotite are abundant late crystallized phases in the gabbros and diorites. The two pyroxene-bearing diorite samples from JZC yield zircon U–Pb ages of 245.7 ± 1.3 Ma and 241.8 ± 1.3 Ma. The mafic and ultramafic rocks display slightly enriched LREE patterns. The wehrlites display moderate to weak negative Eu anomalies (0.74–0.94), whereas the olivine gabbros and gabbros have pronounced positive Eu anomalies. Diorites show slight LREE enrichment, with (La/Yb)_N ratios ranging from 4.42 to 7.79, and moderate to weak negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu¹ = 0.64–0.86). The mafic and ultramafic rocks from this suite are characterized by negative Nb–Ta–Zr anomalies as well as positive Pb anomalies. Diorites show pronounced negative Ba, Nb–Ta and Ti spikes, and typical Th–U, K and Pb peaks. Combined with petrographic observations and chemical variations, we suggest that the magmatism was dominantly controlled by fractional crystallization and crystal accumulation, with limited crustal contamination. The arc-affinity signature and weekly negative to moderately positive ε_Nd(t) values (−2.3 to 1.2) suggest that these rocks may have been generated by partial melting of the juvenile sub-continental lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized previously by slab-derived fluids. The lithologies in the JZC are related in space and time and originated from a common parental magma. Geochemical modeling suggests that their primitive parental magma had a basaltic composition. The ultramafic rocks were generated through olivine accumulation, and variable degrees of fractional crystallization with minor crustal contamination produced the diorites. The data presented here suggest that the subduction in West Qinling did not cease before the early stage of the Middle Triassic (∼242 Ma), a back-arc developed in the northern part of West Qinling during this period, and the JZC formed within the incipient back-arc.     

北祁连中段高压/低温混杂带——岩石学、地球化学和年代学证据

详细的野外研究结果表明,北祁连中段清水沟-香子沟高压低温变质带中出露的变质岩主要有榴辉岩、蓝片岩、多硅白云母石英片岩、变硅质岩、大理岩和蛇纹岩。地球化学测试结果表明,榴辉岩原岩为大洋中脊玄武岩和洋岛拉斑玄武岩;蓝片岩有两种类型,第1种蓝片岩原岩为基性-中基性火山岩,第2种蓝片岩原岩主要形成环境为大洋岛弧和/或大陆岛弧的沉积岩;多硅白云母石英片岩的原岩主要形成于大陆边缘环境;变硅质岩的原岩为形成于远离大陆边缘的沉积环境中的热水成因硅质岩;大理岩原岩为灰岩。榴辉岩锆石SHRIMP定年结果显示其原岩年龄为500±4 Ma,第1种蓝片岩原岩年龄为529±5 Ma。锆石Lu-Hf同位素表明,榴辉岩原岩明显受到了古老地壳的影响,基性蓝片岩的原岩源区为亏损地幔,后期没有或者极微弱地受到地壳物质的影响。结合已有研究资料,认为北祁连高压/低温变质带中变质岩的原岩类型具有明显的多样性特征,且原岩时代具有多期性特征。上述研究结果表明,古祁连洋在早古生代向北俯冲过程中,携带了不同性质和时代的岩石进入俯冲带深部,形成高压/低温变质条件下的混杂带,代表了早古生代与洋壳俯冲有关的俯冲隧道。     

基于植物多样性恢复和保护的石漠化土地整理模式——以贵州撒拉溪和花江示范区为例

本文选取贵州毕节撒拉溪与关岭-贞丰花江示范区为研究对象,通过植物多样性和土地利用调查,掌握示范区植物种类、分布状况和生长特性,土地利用状况以及土地整理程度,选育植物先锋物种,结合模式构建的理论依据和边界条件,根据石漠化土地整理工程分区治理方法,在生态型土地整理技术体系的指导下,针对两个示范区具体情况分别提出温凉喀斯特高原山地潜在-轻度石漠化土地整理与混农林业复合经营模式和干热喀斯特高原峡谷中-强度石漠化土地整理与特色经果林集约经营模式。结果表明:(1)植物多样性本底调查是基于植物多样性恢复与保护的石漠化土地整理的基础,项目实施后还应对植物多样性进行动态监测。(2)土地整理规划设计应融入生态理念,构建基于植物多样性恢复和保护的石漠化土地整理模式,有助于生态修复和重建脆弱生态环境:2011-2014年期间,毕节撒拉溪示范区植被覆盖率上升8.51%,无石漠化面积扩大22.53 hm2;关岭-贞丰花江示范区植被覆盖率上升4.47%,无石漠化面积扩大13.2 hm2。(3)模式的构建依托于技术体系,毕节撒拉溪示范区主要采用潜在-轻度石漠化人工种草与草地生态改良丰产栽培技术、以金银花(Lonicera japonica)为主的坡地植物篱保水固土技术等进行模式构建;花江示范区选取以花椒-玉米为主的林粮空间优化配置技术、以皇竹草-苜蓿草为主的草地营养优化配置技术等构建经营模式。