“Of outstanding universal value”: The challenge of scale in applying the World Heritage Convention at national parks in the US

This paper explores the operation of the international World Heritage Convention in the national context of the United States. Although an early advocate of the national park idea and among the earliest proponents of the Convention, the US has shown increasing ambivalence towards the World Heritage Program since the mid-1990s. Through in-depth interviews with expert informants and a questionnaire survey of 406 visitors at four US World Heritage Sites, this study considers whether combining national and international conservation designations provides valuable reinforcement of conservation goals, or leads to unnecessary overlap and even challenges to sovereignty. The majority of my expert informants were supportive of the Convention, related to philosophical and practical benefits that they believed to be associated with the World Heritage label, although most identified few tangible influences of the World Heritage Program itself. Several noted hostility to the Program from a nationalist fringe, which fears international involvement in land use decisions. Such concerns were reflected in questionnaire responses, which revealed some distrust of the Convention and misunderstandings of its operation. I conclude that the scalar mismatch of implementing an international convention at the national scale inevitably involves challenges, but that country-specific factors are important in explaining why the Convention has been particularly controversial in the US. Education is integral to addressing these challenges, as well as reengagement with the Program by both the National Park Service and the federal administration. Intangible values associated with World Heritage mean that the Convention still enjoys considerable support in the US, providing a solid foundation for such a reengagement.     

Governmentality and security in the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

This article offers a critical theoretical exploration of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The article examines the background to PEPFAR and its reauthorization in Washington DC in 2008 through the conceptual lens of governmentality. Building on existing work, it interprets PEPFAR as a programme for securing the welfare of populations. It also qualifies and extends this work in the following ways. Rather than representing a break with the history of geopolitics, it argues that PEPFAR emerged out of accommodations between geopolitics and governmentality. This point is developed through two takes on geopolitics, first in terms of the projection of sovereign power, and second in terms of articulations between PEPFAR and geopolitical economies of global health. The article suggests, first, that the geopolitics of sovereign power shaped the timing, scale and form of PEPFAR, and second, that PEPFAR articulated with geopolitical economies of global health through its mobilization of US-based corporations, non-governmental and faith-based organizations. The article extends existing work by examining the role of critical mobilizations in shaping PEPFAR, both in relation to questions of political economy and the contentious politics of life. Reflecting on the politics of global health, it considers the prospects for using ideas of security and the international response to HIV/AIDS as stepping stones towards the development of broad-based health systems.     

中国科学院西部行动计划(二期)项目布局与初步进展

中国科学院于2000—2005年成功实施中国科学院西部行动计划（一期）,于“十一五”期间继续实施西部行动计划（二期）。在继续深化和扩展西部原有5个典型区域（北方草地、黄土高原、黑河流域、塔里木河流域、岷江上游）生态建设试验示范研究的基础上,新增西南喀斯特、三峡库区和三江源区等3个试区的生态建设试验示范研究;开展黑河流域遥感?地面观测同步试验与综合模拟平台建设、青藏铁路冻土路基稳定性与沙害防治等研究工作;开展太阳能等特色资源开发及其他服务于西部大开发的高技术研究与产业化等方面的工作。该计划已按实施方案陆续展开,启动实施11个项目,在试验示范区/点的选定、设施建设、观测、试验、研究与示范等方面的进展顺利,取得一批阶段性成果。      

Mineralogy,Fluid Inclusion,and Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Studies of the Intrusion‐Related Yangla Cu Deposit in the Sanjiang Region,SW China: Implications for Metallogenesis and Deposit Type

The Yangla deposit is an intrusion‐related Cu deposit in the Jinshajiang tectonic belt (eastern Sanjiang region, SW China). Despite extensive studies that have been conducted on this deposit, the relationship between the granitic magma and Cu mineralization is still unclear, and hence, the genesis is debated. To answer this question, we conducted an integrated study of mineralogy, fluid inclusions (FIs), and hydrogen and oxygen (H‐O) isotopes. Three mineralization stages were identified based on the ore textures, alteration zonation, and crosscutting relationships: (i) pre‐ore prograde skarn (stage I), with the garnet and pyroxene dominated by andradite and diopside, respectively; (ii) syn‐ore retrograde alteration (stage II), which is subdivided into the early syn‐ore stage (stage IIa) marked by retrograde hydrated mineral assemblages and significant Fe‐Cu‐Mo‐Pb‐Zn sulfide mineralization, and the late syn‐ore stage (stage IIb) featured by quartz‐calcite veins; and (iii) late supergene mineralization (stage III), which is characterized by secondary azurite and malachite. These results of mineralogy, FIs, and H‐O isotopes indicate that: (i) Cu mineralization has a close temporal, spatial, and genetic relationship with skarn alteration; (ii) the ore fluids were magmatic dominated with late‐stage meteoric water incursion; and (iii) Type‐S (halite‐bearing) and Type‐V (vapor‐rich) FIs coexisted in garnet and clinopyroxene of stage I, indicating that fluid boiling might have occurred during this stage. From stage I to stage IIa, the FI type transformed from Type‐S + Type‐V + Type‐L (liquid‐rich) to Type‐V + Type‐L with the conduct of mineralization and was accompanied by the disappearance of Type‐S, and homogenization temperature and salinity also tended to decrease dramatically, which may be caused by the deposition of skarn minerals. At stage IIa, boiling of the ore fluids still continued due to the change from lithostatic to hydrostatic pressure, which triggered the precipitation of abundant quartz‐Cu‐Mo‐Fe sulfides. Furthermore, fluid mixing between a high‐temperature magmatic fluid and a low‐temperature meteoric water might cause a considerable drop in temperature and the deposition of Cu‐bearing quartz/calcite veins during stage IIb. Hence, we consider the Yangla deposit to be of a skarn type, genetically related to the Mesozoic magmatism in the Sanjiang region.     

Large debris flows in Chosica,Lima, Peru: the application of hydraulic infrastructure for erosion control and disaster prevention

Abstract

Large debris flows in steep-sloped ravines debouching to the Rimac River, in metropolitan Lima (Peruvian capital), have resulted in considerable loss of life and property adversely impacting communities in the region. Temporal, spatial and volumetric features of debris flows are difficult to predict, and it is of utmost importance that achievable management solutions are found to reduce the impact of these catastrophic events. The emotional and economic toll of these debris flows on this increasingly densely populated capital city in South America is devastating where communities must live in such inadequate and dangerous conditions. To address this problem, the application of advanced Japanese technology, Sustainable Actions Basin Orientation (SABO), has been investigated using a geomorphological modelling to develop an implementation plan. Rayos de Sol stream basin in Chosica, was selected as a pilot to develop the proposal, as it is considered high risk due to the presence of ancient debris flows and recent flows in 2012, 2015 and 2017. The recurrence of debris flows in this location has resulted in numerous deaths and catastrophic property losses. This study combines geologic and geomorphic mapping and hydraulic and landform evolution numerical modelling. The implementation of a SABO Master Plan based on the multidisciplinary assessment hazard scenarios, will allow the implementation of feasible mitigation actions. The SABO technology has been applied successfully in Japan and other countries in areas with steep short slopes, similar to the conditions surrounding the Peruvian capital. Results from this study will be presented to the Peruvian Government as part of an action plan to manage debris-flow impact.

1. KEY POINTS

2. High-risk mass slope failure is linked to poor urban planning in urban developing regions of Lima the capital of Peru.

3. A multidisciplinary study including geotechnical and hydrological analysis, engineering design, and socio-economic research is required to implement a SABO Master Plan, and this basin is pilot study basin.

4. At the present time, a maintenance programme for existing hydraulic structures should be implemented, and a flood risk management plan developed may propose the relocation of some communities and infrastructure.

     

SHRIMP in situ isotopic analyses of REE,Pb and U in micro-minerals bearing fission products in the Oklo and Bangombé natural reactors: A review of a natural analogue study for the migration of fission products

In the Precambrian, parts of the Oklo, Okélobondo and Bangombé uranium deposits of the Republic of Gabon, central Africa, functioned as natural fission reactors. Many elements in the Oklo and Bangombé uranium deposits show variations in isotopic composition caused by a combination of nuclear fission, neutron capture and radioactive decay. Isotopic studies provide useful information to understand the behavior of radionuclides in geological media. In our recent work, in situ REE, Pb and U isotopic analyses of individual tiny minerals in and around reactor zones have been performed using a SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe). The isotopic results of the SHRIMP analyses on micro-minerals found in and around the Oklo and Bangombé natural reactors are reviewed in this paper. The data suggest the selective uptake behavior of (1) Ra into illite, and (2) Pu into apatite, (3) the formation process of secondary minerals bearing fissiogenic REE and depleted U, (4) evidence of nuggets (?-particles) bearing fissiogenic platinum group elements (PGE), and (5) from the U–Pb systematics of highly altered zircons, the redistribution of U and Pb.     

Late Mesozoic magmatism of the Jiurui mineralization district in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt, Eastern China: Precise U–Pb ages and geodynamic implications

The Middle–Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt (MLYRMB), extending from Daye in Hubei Province in the west to Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province in the east, hosts a number of large polymetallic (Cu–Au–Mo, Fe, Zn, Pb, and Ag) deposits and constitutes one of the most important metallogenic belts in China. The Cu–Au–Mo deposits in the Jiurui district are an important component of the MLYRMB. In this study we carried out precise and detailed zircon U–Pb dating for all types of magmatic rocks from the Wushan ore deposit in the Jiurui district. Three samples of Cu–Au–Mo-related porphyries from different ore belts at Wushan were analyzed and yielded zircon U–Pb ages of 148.0 ± 1.0 Ma, 145.4 ± 0.9 Ma and 147.3 ± 0.9 Ma, respectively. A series of dykes were emplaced immediately following the Cu–Au–Mo-related porphyries at Wushan. A dark-colored basic dyke which intruded into the granodiorite porphyry at Wujia gold deposit near Wushan was dated at 144.5 ± 1.2 Ma. Two lamprophyre dykes taken from the north ore belt at Wushan underground mining stops were dated at 143.6 ± 0.9 Ma and 144.3 ± 0.9 Ma, respectively. A late-stage dyke which was also taken from the Wushan north ore belt yielded an age of 142.6 ± 1.0 Ma and might represent the end of magmatism in the Wushan ore deposit. These new geochronological data demonstrate that the time range of magmatism in the Wushan ore deposit is approximately between 148 Ma and 143 Ma, showing that the magmatic activity at Wushan was rapid and intensive. The ages of Cu–Au–Mo-related porphyries from other areas in the Jiurui district, such as the Dongleiwan, Yangjishan and Chengmenba ore deposits, were also measured and yielded zircon U–Pb ages of 141.5 ± 1.7 Ma, 143.4 ± 1.4 Ma and 146.6 ± 1.0 Ma, respectively. Combined with those previously reported zircon U–Pb age results from the Jiurui district, the present age data set demonstrates that extensive magmatism in the Jiurui district was coeval and intensive, marked by a magmatic activity in the age range of 148 to 138 Ma and peaked between 148 Ma and 142 Ma. According to the statistics of all those precise zircon U–Pb ages, the Cu–Au–Mo-related porphyries in the Edong and Tongling districts in the MLYRMB show similar ages, and they have a slightly younger peak age and a longer duration than that of the Jiurui district. The geographic shape of the MLYRMB in the Cretaceous shows an arcuate structure, the Jiurui district is located at the transitional point of the arcuate structure and the Edong and Tongling districts are situated on both sides of the arcuate structure. Considering that the Jiurui district has a slightly older peak age and a shorter duration of magmatic activity than that in the Edong and Tongling districts, it seems that the arcuate structure of the MLYRMB played an important role in the formation of these Cu–Au–Mo-related porphyries. Consequently, we suggest that the genesis of the Late Mesozoic magmatic rocks along the MLYRMB may have been due to a tectonic activity developed from southeast to northwest, which probably has a close relationship with the subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate beneath the Eurasian plate in Mesozoic times.     

Magnetic and ground probing radar measurements for soil pollution mapping in the industrial area of Val Basento (Basilicata Region, Southern Italy): a case study

The joint application of electromagnetic techniques for near-surface exploration is a useful tool for soil pollution monitoring and can also contribute towards describing the spatial distribution of pollutants. The results of a geophysical field survey that was carried out for characterizing the heavy metal and waste disposal soil pollution phenomena in the industrial area of Val Basento (Basilicata region, Southern Italy) are presented here. First, topsoil magnetic susceptibility measurements have been carried out for defining the spatial distribution of superficial pollution phenomena in the investigated area. Second, detailed and integrated measurements based on a high-resolution magnetic mapping and ground probing radar (GPR) profiling have been applied to investigate the subsurface in two industrial areas located in more polluted sites that were identified during the first phase. Our monitoring strategy discloses the way to rapidly define the zone characterized by high pollution levels deriving from chemical industries and traffic emissions and to obtain the way information about the presence of local buried sources of contamination.     

南秦岭构造带内早古生代碱基性岩浆活动：古特提斯洋裂解的证据

位于南秦岭构造带南缘的勉略(勉县—略阳)洋是东古特提斯洋的北侧分支洋盆,在勉县—略阳地区发育有典型的蛇绿岩组合。然而,由于中三叠世晚期开始的碰撞造山作用以及之后陆内变形作用的改造,对于勉略洋盆在构造带东段的裂解和演化过程并不清晰。本文对发育于东南秦岭构造带内的基性岩墙群进行了岩石学、岩石地球化学、同位素年代学等方面的研究。结果表明,基性岩脉以辉长岩、辉绿岩等基性岩为主,其SiO 2含量为41.89%~49.75%,属基性—超基性岩类,并具有富钠、高钛的碱性岩特征。岩石的稀土、微量元素和Sr—Nd同位素特征与板内洋岛玄武岩(OIB)特征一致,岩浆源于具有地壳混染的板内洋岛玄武岩型地幔源区。该类基性岩脉顺层侵入到早古生代早期地层中,通过基性岩脉中的锆石SHRIMP测年获得岩脉顺层侵位的时代为晚志留世早期(约422 Ma)。这种岩浆作用很可能与古特提斯洋初始裂解有关,并导致南秦岭构造带内地壳伸展、基性岩浆侵位,该过程与南秦岭构造带北缘的商丹(商南—丹凤)原特提斯洋的消减和陆内俯冲可能相关。