Opaline and Al–Si phytoliths from a tropical mire system of West Malaysia: abundance, habit, elemental composition, preservation and significance

Abundant and unique opaline and Al–Si phytoliths and opaline bioliths have been discovered in Holocene peat deposits of tropical Tasek Bera in Peninsular Malaysia. These are secreted mainly by plants (higher plants and algae) and incorporated in the sediment cycle during the rapid biomass turnover. Many wetland plants have entire skeletons secreted. The study shows that differing plant parts of same species as well as same parts of differing plant species incorporate different amounts of elements. Whilst deciduous trees of the swamp forest have phytoliths enriched in Al, most phytoliths of palms, sedges and grasses of the littoral swamp are composed of opaline silica. Incorporation of Al and many other elements into relatively stable phytoliths is the result of high evapotranspiration rate and ample plant-available elements and can serve to detoxify the soil solution. Because of the abundance of such opaline and Al–Si structures, spongillid and algal remains in acid peat-accumulating environments, tropical peatlands represent repositories of Si and Al, which together with variable amounts of other elements could provide the prime material for silicate neoformation during later diagenetic processes. Neoformation of minerals from bioliths would explain the scarcity of biogenic remains in Carboniferous and Tertiary coal deposits. Furthermore, incorporation of major elements in phytoliths may limit the rate of leaching of these elements in an environment where biomass turnover is rapid, thus reducing the loss of nutrients and other plant-essential elements. Most nutrients of tropical peats are recycled by plants within the top 150 cm and an upward migration of plant-essential elements, such as Mg, Ca, or P, but also of Si and Al, occurs during peat accumulation. Such elemental cycling strongly influences the geochemical composition of the peats during mire evolution. Utilizing Al for normalization of major and minor elements of tropical peats for paleoclimatic and paleodepositional analyses may thus result in incorrect interpretations.     

Interaction of Freshly Precipitated Silica Gel with Aqueous Silicic Acid Solutions under Ambient and Near Neutral pH-conditions: A Detailed Analysis of Linear Rate Law

Interaction of freshly precipitated silica gel with aqueous solutions was studied at laboratory batch experiments under ambient and near neutral pH-conditions. The overall process showed excellent reversibility: gel growth could be considered as an opposite process to dissolution and a linear rate law could be applied to experimental data. Depending on the used rate law form, the resulting rate constants were sensitive to errors in parameters/variables such as gel surface area, equilibrium constants, Si-fluxes, and reaction quotients. The application of an Integrated Exponential Model appeared to be the best approach for dissolution data evaluation. It yielded the rate constants k _dissol ∼ (4.50 ± 0.68) × 10⁻¹² and k _growth ∼ (2.58 ± 0.39) × 10⁻⁹ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ for zero ionic strength. In contrast, a Differential Model gave best results for growth data modeling. It yielded the rate constants k _dissol ∼ (1.14 ± 0.44) × 10⁻¹¹ and k _growth ∼ (6.08 ± 2.37) × 10⁻⁹ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ for higher ionic strength (I ∼ 0.04 to 0.11 mol L⁻¹). The found silica gel solubility at zero ionic strength was somewhat lower than the generally accepted value. Based on the and standard Gibbs free energy of silica gel formation was calculated as and −850,318 ± 20 J mol⁻¹, respectively. Activation energies for silica gel dissolution and growth were determined as and respectively. An universal value for growth of any silica polymorph, is not consistent with the value for silica gel growth, which questions the hypothesis about one unique activated complex controlling the silica polymorph growth.     

关于陆地水循环演变及其在全球变化中的作用研究设想

围绕中国在全球变化及应对领域多学科交叉研究能力提升和维护国家利益两大重大实践需求,本研究将以全球变化背景下大气-陆面-水文过程演变为主线,融合气象与气候学、水文及水资源学、系统工程学等多学科理论与技术,采用高密度原型观测、多尺度机理实验、数值模拟与仿真、地理信息技术等多方法相结合的途径,发挥云平台的存储、计算和管理等功能与优势,按照“机理识别-规律揭示-形势诊断”的总体思路开展陆地水循环演变及其在全球变化中的作用研究,将发布过去60年全球陆地广义水资源及水循环通量与干旱事件、1级至4级河流径流性水资源与洪涝事件的成果数据;将为中国参与全球气候谈判、国际气候治理和“一带一路”等国家战略的实施提供直接支撑,潜在的经济社会效益显著。     

Experimental constraints on the hydrothermal reactivity of organic acids and acid anions: I. Formic acid and formate

A series of hydrothermal experiments covering a range of temperatures from 175 to 260°C examined the decomposition of formic acid and formate and also investigated the production of formate from reduction of CO₂. Decomposition rates measured in this study, which were conducted in gold-TiO₂ reactors, were several orders of magnitude slower than those reported in previous studies conducted in steel and Ti-metal reactors, indicating the previous studies substantially overestimated the rate of the reaction owing to reactor catalysis. Although experiments were conducted with several different minerals present (hematite, magnetite, serpentinized olivine, NiFe-alloy), the decomposition rates were similar in each experiment once the effects of fluid pH were accounted for, suggesting that the minerals had no effect on the stability of formic acid or formate. At higher temperatures (>225°C), the rates of both the decomposition of formate and the reduction of CO₂ to formate were sufficiently rapid that reactions between dissolved CO₂ and formate rapidly attained a state of metastable thermodynamic equilibrium. The results suggest that the amount of formate in many subsurface and hydrothermal fluids is likely to be controlled by equilibrium with dissolved CO₂ at the prevailing oxidation state and pH of the fluid. This may account for the high concentrations of formate observed in strongly reducing environments such as serpentinites, as well as the low concentrations relative to other organic acid anions in mildly reducing environments such as oil-filed brines and formation waters in sedimentary basins. Although formate has been suggested to be a reaction intermediate in the formation of abiotic hydrocarbons from reduction of aqueous CO₂, production of hydrocarbons was not observed in any of the experiments, except for trace amounts of methane, despite high concentrations of formate and strongly reducing conditions.     

Chesapeake Bay nutrient and plankton dynamics: III. The annual cycle of dissolved silicon

Silicic acid (H₄SiO₄) flux from the sediment, H₄SiO₄ concentration and river flow were used to obtain an annual dissolved silicon budget for Chesapeake Bay. H₄SiO₄ concentrations vary seasonally in the estuary: for a 12-year period, mean H₄SiO₄ concentrations in the mesohaline region were high both in spring and in late summer to early fall, and were low in late spring—occasionally approaching levels potentially limiting to diatom growth. Most of the annual allochthonous H₄SiO₄ supply to the estuary derives from the three major rivers, but regenerative H₄SiO₄ flux from the sediment to the water column exceeds the total riverine input by a factor of at least five. Sediment H₄SiO₄ efflux exhibits seasonality and averages approximately 2–3 mol Si m^?2 yr^?1. The high rates of sediment dissolution and efflux appear to maintain high levels of H₄SiO₄ in the mesohaline region, and Si-limitation of diatom growth there seems unlikely. The relative rates of biogenic silica formation and dissolution do not vary synchronously: seasonal variations in diatom productivity, sedimentary release of H₄SiO₄ and river flow all contribute to the observed late winter and late summer seasonal maxima and late spring minimum in water column H₄SiO₄ concentrations. If the only source of Si to support sedimentary H₄SiO₄ efflux is biogenic particulate silica recently deposited from the water column and this silica in turn was produced by diatoms in a ratio of 8C:1 Si, the minimum annual primary production by diatoms is at least 260 g C m^?2, approximately half of annual total plankton primary production. This estimate would be revised upwards according to the amount of particulate biogenic silica dissolving in the water column. Burial of biogenic silica amounts to from 2 to 84% of the sediment efflux of H₄SiO₄, depending on location in the bay. On an annual basis, burial represents from 60 to 100% of fluvial H₄SiO₄-Si inputs.     

碳同位素和水化学在示踪贵阳地下水碳的生物地球化学循环及污染中的应用

地下水污染影响碳的生物地球化学循环,碳的演化也能够反映地下水的污染状况。对贵阳城区地下水的水化学、溶解无机碳含量及其碳同位素进行了分析。研究结果表明,地下水化学以SO4·HCO3-Ca·Mg型和HCO3-Ca·Mg型为主,化学组分分析结果表明,水化学特征主要受岩性控制。地下水中溶解无机碳表现形式主要为HCO-3,丰水期由于稀释作用其含量减少。而丰水期δ13CDIC较枯水期偏负,生物成因无机碳占比重大。结合碳同位素和NO-3等人为活动输入物质的负相关性尝试对城区地下水污染分区,结论为贵阳市区中部、东北部以及西郊农业区地下水受污染较为严重。     

Soil and plant composition in the Noun river catchment basin,Western Cameroon: a contribution to the development of a biogeochemical baseline

Soils and selected edible plants of the Noun river catchment basin of western Cameroon were sampled to investigate the distribution of trace elements, based on the preliminary idea of unusual anomalies. Analytical techniques for trace elements included ICP-AES, GF-AAS, and ICP-MS. Further soil analyses comprised the mineralogy and contents of the biogenic elements carbon, nitrogen and sulphur (CNS). The trace element concentrations in the soils reflect those of the lithogeochemical background of the pluto-volcanic rocks of the region. This is consistent with the results from the mineralogical analyses and physicochemical parameters such as pH, taken in the field, which also do not suggest any geochemical anomaly. Most trace elements analyzed in the plants showed concentrations that reflect those of the soils (Al, Fe, Ti, and Rb). However, some trace elements were enriched in the plants as compared to the soils, such as Zn, Cu, Cd, Mo (excluding yam), Ni (peanut), Ba (peanut), Sr (peanut, bean), and B. Trace elements such as As, Cr, V, and Se were not bioavailable for all the analyzed plants. Besides, trace elements such as Cu, Zn, Mo, Fe, Al, Ni, B, Ti, Rb, Cs, and Ba were in the range of phytotoxicity and reached or exceeded human food tolerance level (Cu). The plants with seeds showed a higher absorption of trace elements compared to plants with tubercles.     

Stable isotope geochemistry of ground and surface waters associated with undisturbed massive sulfide deposits; constraints on origin of waters and water-rock reactions

Stable isotopes (H, O, C) were determined for ground and surface waters collected from two relatively undisturbed massive sulfide deposits (Halfmile Lake and Restigouche) in the Bathurst Mining Camp (BMC), New Brunswick, Canada. Additional waters from active and inactive mines in the BMC were also collected. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of surface and shallow groundwaters from both the Halfmile Lake and Restigouche deposits are remarkably uniform (− 13 to − 14‰ and − 85 to − 95‰ for δ¹⁸O_VSMOW and δ²H_VSMOW, respectively). These values are lighter than predicted for northern New Brunswick and, combined with elevated deuterium excess values, suggest that recharge waters are dominated by winter precipitation, recharged during spring melting. Deeper groundwaters from the Restigouche deposit, and from active and inactive mines have heavier δ¹⁸O_VSMOW ratios (up to − 10.8‰) than shallow groundwaters suggesting recharge under warmer climate or mixing with Shield-type brines. Some of the co-variation in Cl concentrations and δ¹⁸O_VSMOW ratios can be explained by mixing between saline and shallow recharge water end-members. Carbon isotopic compositions of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) are variable, ranging from − 15 to − 5‰ δ¹³C_VPDB for most ground and surface waters. Much of the variation in the carbon isotopes is consistent with closed system groundwater evolution involving soil zone CO₂ and fracture zone carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite and siderite; average = − 6.5‰ δ¹³C_VPDB). The DIC of saline Restigouche deposit groundwater is isotopically heavy (∼+ 12‰ δ¹³C_VPDB), indicating carbon isotopic fractionation from methanogenesis via CO₂ reduction, consistent with the lack of dissolved sulfate in these waters and the observation of CH₄-degassing during sampling.     

Direct effect of ice sheets on terrestrial bicarbonate, sulphate and base cation fluxes during the last glacial cycle: minimal impact on atmospheric CO2 concentrations

Chemical erosion in glacial environments is normally a consequence of chemical weathering reactions dominated by sulphide oxidation linked to carbonate dissolution and the carbonation of carbonates and silicates. Solute fluxes from small valley glaciers are usually a linear function of discharge. Representative glacial solute concentrations can be derived from the linear association of solute flux with discharge. These representative glacial concentrations of the major ions are 25% of those in global river water. A 3-D thermomechanically coupled model of the growth and decay of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets was used to simulate glacial runoff at 100-year time steps during the last glacial cycle (130 ka to the present). The glacially derived fluxes of major cations, anions and Si over the glaciation were estimated from the product of the glacial runoff and the representative glacial concentration. A second estimate was obtained from the product of the glacial runoff and a realistic upper limit for glacial solute concentrations derived from theoretical considerations. The fluxes over the last glacial cycle are usually less than a few percent of current riverine solute fluxes to the oceans. The glacial fluxes were used to provide input to an oceanic carbon cycling model that also calculates changes in atmospheric CO₂. The potential change in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations over the last glacial cycle that arise from perturbations in glacial solute fluxes are insignificant, being <1 ppm.     

Effects of fungal infection on lipid extract composition of higher plant remains: comparison of shoots of a Cenomanian conifer, uninfected and infected by extinct fungi

The lipid fraction extracted from uninfected shoots of a fossil conifer, Frenelopsis alata, was analysed by gas-chromatography–mass-spectrometry, and compared with shoots of the same conifer infected by extinct epiphyllous fungi, so as to study the effects of fungal infection on the chemical composition of extracts from higher plant remains. The extracts from the uninfected shoots appeared to be composed of (i) common constituents of higher plant lipids such as n-alkanes and fatty acids, (ii) elemental sulphur, and (iii) substantial amounts of terpenoids characteristic of conifers, such as cadalene, beyerane, dehydroabietane and related compounds. Comparison of this extract with that of fungal-infected shoots revealed, in addition to the aforementioned compounds, the presence of substantial amounts of hydroxysuccinic acid and functionalised benzoic compounds that were interpreted as degradation products of lignin by fungi. This study afforded preliminary indications of the composition of extracts from higher plant remains infected by fungi.     

陕西旬邑西头遗址商末周初殉人植物性食物组成分析——来自牙结石中的淀粉粒和植硅体证据

殉人的植物性食物组成分析是了解个体乃至群体生活习性和生活状况的重要基础, 对于殉人的身份辨识及殉葬制度研究具有十分重要的考古学意义。商周时期存在大量墓葬殉人现象, 以往研究多集中在殉人与墓主关系、殉人身份辨识等方面, 对其植物性食物来源的分析十分薄弱。本研究选取陕西旬邑西头遗址M90的37具殉人作为对象, 对其牙齿表面附着牙结石进行淀粉粒和植硅体分析, 并对墓葬中随葬动物骨骼等样品进行¹⁴C年代测定。结果显示, M90年代应为商末周初时期; 发现有粟类植物、小麦族(Triticeae)、块根块茎、食用豆类、坚果类等5类植物淀粉粒, 以及粟稃壳、禾草类稃壳、早熟禾亚科和黍亚科等茎叶植硅体。综合商周时期旬邑地区植物考古的证据, 认为西头遗址殉人的植物性食物结构较为多样, 以当时社会主流的粟(Setaria italica)、黍(Panicum miliaceum)等粟类作物为主, 小麦族植物占比较少, 块根块茎、食用豆类和坚果类植物亦有部分摄入。从淀粉粒的损伤特征和稃壳类植硅体的发现来看, 食物在食用前经过了碾磨或蒸煮等加工处理, 其谷物脱壳水平应较为先进。此外, 殉人在以粟黍为主的主粮摄入上无明显差别, 仅在小麦族植物的食用上有所区别。目前所知商周时期殉人的食谱均以粟黍为主的C₄类植物为主, 但由于殉人与墓主关系及殉人身份等级的差异, 在以小麦族植物为代表的C₃类植物摄入上差异明显, 这种差异性的饮食结构显示了不同时期先民在饮食上的选择偏好, 以及等级差异对古人饮食的影响。本研究首次从植物利用角度对殉人的食谱进行分析, 填补了以往文献、植物大遗存和碳氮稳定同位素分析对古人饮食来源认识的不足, 为商周时期殉葬制度研究提供了新思路。

     

地表溶蚀盆地-地下岩溶联合成库条件分析——以弄岩水库为例

水资源已成为人类社会及经济发展的重要制约因素,国内外都在积极探索不同气候、不同地质条件下水资源的合理开发利用。受地下岩溶发育及气候影响,岩溶地区的地表及地下水资源在时间、空间上分布极不均匀,旱涝并存,通常以单一拦蓄地表水或直接抽取地下水来应对,存在较大局限性。文章在总结分析前人的研究成果上,结合弄岩水库,利用水文系列资料进行相关分析,找出地表水与地下水之间的变量关系及相应可开采水资源量;查明地下岩溶蓄水条件,在岩溶通道设置地下拦蓄工程,实现地表水与地下水联合开发,并利用地表及与地下岩溶水库的调蓄功能均衡供水,有效解决旱涝问题,水资源得以最大化合理利用。     

Peridotitic diamonds from Namibia: constraints on the composition and evolution of their mantle source

About half the diamonds studied from the Cenozoic placer deposits along the Namibian coast belong to the peridotitic suite. The peridotitic mantle source is heterogeneous ranging from lherzolitic to strongly Ca depleted (down to 0.24 wt.% CaO in garnet) and shows large variations in Cr/Al ratio, illustrated by very low to very high Cr₂O₃ contents in garnet (2.6–17.3 wt.%). The Cr-rich end of this range includes exceptionally high Cr₂O₃ contents in Mg-chromite (70.7 wt.%) and clinopyroxene (3.6 wt.%). Garnet-olivine thermometry appears to indicate two groups, one that equilibrated at temperatures between 1200 and 1220°C and a second between 960 and 1100°C. Combined estimates of pressure and temperature based on garnet-orthopyroxene pairs indicate a large variance in geothermal gradients, corresponding to 38–42 mW/m² surface heat flow.

The trace-element composition of peridotitic garnet inclusions (determined by SIMS) also indicates large diversity. Two principal groups, corresponding to different styles of metasomatic source enrichment, are recognized. The first group ranges from extremely LREE_N-depleted patterns, through trough-shaped REE_N to sinusoidal patterns with the position of the first peak gradually moving from the LREE_N to the MREE_N. This series of REE patterns is interpreted to reflect a range of metasomatic agents with decreasing LREE/HREE. Only in the case of the two garnets with REE_N peaking at Sm–Eu is this process connected with enrichment in Zr, without significant introduction of Y and Ti. The metasomatism responsible is interpreted as reflecting percolation of CHO-fluids through harzburgite under sub-solidus conditions. A second group of garnets shows an increase from LREE_N–MREE_N and almost flat (lherzolitic garnet) to moderately declining MREE_N–HREE_N at super-chondritic levels. This second style of metasomatism is caused by an agent carrying HFSE and showing only moderate enrichment in LREE over HREE, which points towards silicate melts.     

中国北方草地植物群落碳、氮元素组成空间变化及其与土壤地球化学变化的关系

碳、氮元素是土壤中的关键元素.在我国黄土高原北部-宁夏中东部处于荒漠化初期阶段的草地中,土壤的碳、氮元素组成出现了异乎寻常的特征,即相对于碳含量,氮含量异常偏低.认识造成这一现象的原因对我国北方草地的保护和重建具有重要意义.植被的输入是土壤中碳、氮元素组成的最为重要的控制因素之一.为认识植被碳、氮含量的空间变化对上述现象产生的贡献,对包括草地碳、氮异常区在内的区域进行了沿线植物群落的化学组成研究.结果表明:1.植物群落平均碳含量约为40%～50%,不同植物群落类型碳含量以苦豆子、达乌里胡子枝群落最高(44.225%),蛛丝蓬、骆驼蓬群落最低(35.516%).绝大多数植物群落平均氮含量约为2%～4%,不同植物群落类型含氮量以猪毛菜、星状角果藜群落最高(4.482%),蛛丝蓬群落最低(1.356%);2.植物群落生物量空间分布与对应降雨量变化趋势一致,说明降雨量是限制群落地理分布的关键因子;3.植物群落与土壤C/N比值随纬度呈现不一致的变化规律,相关分析表明,两者呈现统计学上的显著负相关关系,相关系数为:r=-0.392(P＜0.05,n=32).上述结果表明,在研究地区荒漠化初期阶段的草地中,植被输入不是引起该区域土壤C/N异常升高的原因.     

Exhumation of oceanic eclogites: thermodynamic constraints on pressure,temperature, bulk composition and density

The exhumation mechanism of high‐pressure (HP) and ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) eclogites formed by the subduction of oceanic crust (hereafter referred to as oceanic eclogites) is one of the primary uncertainties associated with the subduction factory. The phase relations and densities of eclogites with MORB compositions are modelled using thermodynamic calculations over a P–T range of 1–4 GPa and 400–800 °C, respectively, in the NCKFMASHTO (Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–TiO₂–Fe₂O₃) system. Our modelling suggests that the mineral assemblages, mineral proportions and density of oceanic crust subducted along a cold P–T path are quite different from those of crust subducted along a warm P–T path, and that the density of oceanic eclogites is largely controlled by the stability of low‐density hydrous minerals, such as lawsonite, chlorite, glaucophane and talc. Along a cold subduction P–T path with a geotherm of ~6 °C km^?1, lawsonite is always present at 1.1 to >4.0 GPa, and chlorite, glaucophane and talc can be stable at pressures of up to 2.3, 2.6 and 3.6 GPa respectively. Along such a P–T path, the density of subducted oceanic crust is always lower than that of the surrounding mantle at depths shallower than 110–120 km (< 3.3–3.6 GPa). However, along a warm subduction P–T path with a geotherm of ~10 °C km^?1, the P–T path is outside the stability field of lawsonite, and the hydrous minerals of chlorite, epidote and amphibole break down completely into dry dense minerals at relatively lower pressures of 1.5, 1.85 and 1.9 GPa respectively. Along such a warm subduction P–T path, the subducted oceanic crust becomes denser than the surrounding mantle at depths >60 km (>1.8 GPa). Oceanic eclogites with high H₂O content, oxygen fugacity, bulk‐rock X_Mg [ = MgO/(MgO + FeO)], X_Al [ = Al₂O₃/(Al₂O₃ + MgO + FeO)] and low X_Ca [ = CaO/(CaO + MgO + FeO + Na₂O)] are likely suitable for exhumation, which is consistent with the bulk‐rock compositions of the natural oceanic eclogites on the Earth's surface. On the basis of natural observations and our calculations, it is suggested that beyond depths around 110–120 km oceanic eclogites are not light enough and/or there are no blueschists to compensate the negative buoyancy of the oceanic crust, therefore explaining the lack of oceanic eclogites returned from ultradeep mantle (>120 km) to the Earth's surface. The exhumed light–cold–hydrous oceanic eclogites may have decoupled from the top part of the sinking slab at shallow depths in the forearc region and are exhumed inside the serpentinized subduction channel, whereas the dense–hot–dry eclogites may be retained in the sinking slab and recycled into deeper mantle.     

Igneous garnet and amphibole fractionation in the roots of island arcs: experimental constraints on andesitic liquids

To evaluate the role of garnet and amphibole fractionation at conditions relevant for the crystallization of magmas in the roots of island arcs, a series of experiments were performed on a synthetic andesite at conditions ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 GPa, 800–1,000°C and variable H₂O contents. At water undersaturated conditions and fO₂ established around QFM, garnet has a wide stability field. At 1.2 GPa garnet + amphibole are the high-temperature liquidus phases followed by plagioclase at lower temperature. Clinopyroxene reaches its maximal stability at H₂O-contents ≤9 wt% at 950°C and is replaced by amphibole at lower temperature. The slopes of the plagioclase-in boundaries are moderately negative in space. At 0.8 GPa, garnet is stable at magmatic H₂O contents exceeding 8 wt% and is replaced by spinel at decreasing dissolved H₂O. The liquids formed by crystallization evolve through continuous silica increase from andesite to dacite and rhyolite for the 1.2 GPa series, but show substantial enrichment in FeO/MgO for the 0.8 GPa series related to the contrasting roles of garnet and amphibole in fractionating Fe–Mg in derivative liquids. Our experiments indicate that the stability of igneous garnet increases with increasing dissolved H₂O in silicate liquids and is thus likely to affect trace element compositions of H₂O-rich derivative arc volcanic rocks by fractionation. Garnet-controlled trace element ratios cannot be used as a proxy for ‘slab melting’, or dehydration melting in the deep arc. Garnet fractionation, either in the deep crust via formation of garnet gabbros, or in the upper mantle via formation of garnet pyroxenites remains an important alternative, despite the rare occurrence of magmatic garnet in volcanic rocks.     

Sedimentation processes and new age constraints on rifting stages in Lake Baikal: results of deep-water drilling

 With this paper we present a first attempt to combine the direct results on lithology, composition and age dating in the boreholes BDP-93, BDP-96 and BDP-97 with geological and seismic data from the areas where those sections were drilled. The sedimentary environments represented by the BDP boreholes are markedly different and possess characteristic lithological features. The results of the deep drilling provide the essential means for testing numerous age models used in geological reconstructions of the Lake Baikal rifting dynamics. Neither the basin-wide unconformity interpreted from seismic data, nor the interpreted change from shallow-water to deep-water facies at the boundary of the seismic stratigraphic complexes were found in the BDP-96 boreholes on Academician Ridge. Also, lithology does not support the proposed reconstructions of intense lake level fluctuations and transgressions during the Pliocene at Academician Ridge. The continuous deep-water hemipelagic sedimentation at Academician Ridge has existed for the past 5 Ma. The beginning of an intense rifting phase of the Neobaikalian sub-stage and related drastic changes in sedimentation processes were interpreted on seismic sections as the basin-wide unconformity B10. Different age estimates for this boundary ranged from Late Pliocene (3.5 Ma) to Plio-Pleistocene boundary. As shown by BDP-96 borehole, B10 is associated with a lithological change from diatomaceous ooze to dense silty clay and not with an erosional contact. The new age for this boundary in BDP-96 is approximately 2.5 Ma. This new age constraint suggests that the upper sedimentary strata of Northern Baikal (1.5–1.7 km thick) have formed during the past 2.5 Ma with average sedimentation rates of 60–70 cm/ka. The BDP-93 boreholes at Buguldeika suggest that uplift in Primorsky Range took place prior to 1.07–1.31 Ma, a date which exceeds the age of previous geological models. Received: 12 March 1999 / Accepted: 10 February 2000     

The anatomy of Continental Flood Basalt Provinces: geological constraints on the processes and products of flood volcanism

The internal architecture of the immense volumes of eruptive products in Continental Flood Basalt Provinces (CFBPs) provides vital clues, through the constraint of a chrono-stratigraphic framework, to the origins of major intraplate melting events. This work presents close examination of the internal facies architecture and structure, duration of volcanism, epeirogenetic uplift associated with CFBPs, and the potential environmental impacts of three intensely studied CFBPs (the Parana-Etendeka, Deccan Traps and North Atlantic Igneous Province). Such a combination of key volcanological, stratigraphic and chronologic observations can reveal how a CFBP is constructed spatially and temporally to provide crucial geological constraints regarding their development.

Using this approach, a typical model can be generated, on the basis of the three selected CFBPs, that describes three main phases of flood basalt volcanism. These phases are recognized in Phanerozoic CFBPs globally. At the inception of CFBP volcanism, relatively low-volume transitional-alkaline eruptions are forcibly erupted into exposed cratonic basement lithologies, sediments, and in some cases, water. Distribution of initial volcanism is strongly controlled by the arrangement of pre-existing topography, the presence of water bodies and local sedimentary systems, but is primarily controlled by existing lithospheric and crustal weaknesses and concurrent regional stress patterns. The main phase of volcanism is typically characterised by a culmination of repeated episodes of large volume tholeiitic flows that predominantly generate large tabular flows and flow fields from a number of spatially restricted eruption sites and fissures. These tabular flows build a thick lava flow stratigraphy in a relatively short period of time (c. 1–5 Ma). With the overall duration of flood volcanism lasting 5–10 Ma (the main phase accounting for less than half the overall eruptive time in each specific case). This main phase or ‘acme’ of volcanism accounts for much of the CFBP eruptive volume, indicating that eruption rates are extremely variable over the whole duration of the CFBP. During the waning phase of flood volcanism, the volume of eruptions rapidly decrease and more widely distributed localised centres of eruption begin to develop. These late-stage eruptions are commonly associated with increasing silica content and highly explosive eruptive products. Posteruptive modification is characterised by continued episodes of regional uplift, associated erosion, and often the persistence of a lower-volume mantle melting anomaly in the offshore parts of those CFBPs at volcanic rifted margins.     

江南造山带深部边界及成矿制约：来自综合地球物理的认识

江南造山带位于组成华南大陆的扬子地块和华夏地块之间，是揭示华南陆块演化及其动力学过程、探索该地区大规模岩浆多金属成矿作用的关键窗口。前人在构造学、岩石学和矿床学等方面取得了诸多进展，但仍对江南造山带的深部结构认识不明，导致对其定义、边界范围、形成时代及演化过程等方面长期存在争议，故亟需开展综合地球物理探测工作，为解决上述争议问题提供约束。鉴于后期构造运动对上地壳大幅改造的影响，致使对于江南造山带的深部边界存在不同认识，本文以重力数据和航磁数据为主、辅以大地电磁测深结果、并与水系沉积物地球化学资料相结合，厘定江南造山带的深部边界。综合重磁多尺度边缘检测、深部电性结构及75种元素水系沉积物地球化学数据聚类分析结果，推测钦杭结合带可能为江南造山带东南侧深部边界，并推断了江南造山带北部可能的深部边界和周缘的断裂构造。基于上述结果和认识，分析了区域构造对金、铜矿床的控制作用，认为江南造山带深部边界及深部断裂扮演了成矿系统中“导矿通道”的角色，从深大断裂形成之初就提供了铜、金等幔源成分为主的矿物质，在合适位置就位成矿；后期复杂的构造运动，使得局部位置再次活化，成矿物质重新富集迁移，在次级断裂等有利...     

Geochemical characteristics of water and sediment from the Dal Lake, Kashmir Himalaya: constraints on weathering and anthropogenic activity

Two hundred and forty water samples (in four seasons) and seventeen sediment samples have been analyzed to monitor the natural and anthropogenic influences on the water and sediment chemistry of the Dal Lake, Kashmir Himalaya. The scatter diagrams [(Ca+Mg)/total cations (TZ⁺), (Ca+Mg)/HCO₃, (Ca+Mg)/(HCO₃₊SO₄), (Na+K)/TZ⁺; (Ca+Mg)/(Na+K)] and the geological map of the study area suggest predominance of carbonate and silicate weathering. Lower pH and high total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and values in the Gagribal basin and in some patches of other basins reflect anthropogenic inputs in the form of sewage from surrounding population, houseboats, hotels, etc. The Dal Lake is characterized by high chemical index of alteration (CIA: 87–95), reflecting extreme weathering of the catchment area. Relative to the average carbonates, the lakebed sediments are enriched in Al, Ti, Zn, Cu and Co and depleted in Ni and Mn. Compared to the post-Archean Shale the sediments have higher Al, Zn and Cu contents and lower Ni and Co. There are distinct positive anomalies of Al, Mn, Zn and Cu and negative anomalies of Ni and Pb with respect to the upper continental crust. Geoaccumulation index (I _geo) and the US Environmental Protection Agency sediment quality standards indicate that the Gagribal basin and some patches of the Nagin basin are polluted with respect to Zn, Cu and Pb. These data suggest that the Dal Lake is characterized by differential natural and anthropogenic influences.