Cesium-rubidium mineralization in Himalayan leucogranites

This paper presents a study of a newly discovered pollucite-lepidolite-albite granite(PLAG) in the Himalayan leucogranite belt, which marks the first occurrence of pollucite, a major cesium silicate mineral, in the Himalayan orogenic belt(China). The rock appears at the northern part of the Gyirong pluton, coexisting with the tourmaline-bearing two-mica granite(TMG). Primary rare-metal minerals include lepidolite(Li), spodumene(Li), pollucite(Cs), cassiterite(Sn), and microlite(Ta).Micas, mainly...     

Shallow subsurface habitats across the Mars-analog Qaidam Basin

Searching for life is one of the most important targets of Mars exploration missions. It has been considered that the Martian subsurface, away from the extreme surface environment, is a potentially habitable region for microbial growth.However, the distribution pattern of potential microbial habitats in the Martian subsurface has yet to be evaluated. Here, we investigate the subsurface habitats to depths of 20–60 cm from various landscapes, including slopes, gullies, channels, playas,and alluvia...     

Molecular characterization of organic matter transformation mediated by microorganisms under anoxic/hypoxic conditions

Dissolved organic matter(DOM) in the ocean is one of the largest carbon pools on Earth. Microbial metabolism is an important process that shapes the marine DOM pool. Current studies on the interactions between microorganisms and DOM focus mainly on oxic environments. Few studies have addressed the molecular characteristics of DOM in microbial-mediated transformation under anoxic/hypoxic conditions. As a result of deteriorating water quality due to eutrophication and global warming, anoxia occurs...     

KREEP-rich breccia in Chang'E-5 regolith and its implications

Lunar breccias provide crucial insights into the lithological diversity, shock processing and evolution of the lunar crust. Here, we report a unique regolith breccia(CE5C0000YJYX070GP, hereafter CE5C) returned from the Chang’E-5(CE-5)mission. CE5C is one of the largest CE-5 breccias with a wide variety of lithologies, dominated by basaltic and mineral fragments as well as impact-melted clasts(including mid-Ti glasses, high-Al glasses, and crystal-bearing impact melt clasts). A comprehensive stud...     

Episodic sandstone-type uranium mineralization in Asia during the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic

Sandstone-type uranium deposits(STUDs) are the most important global source of uranium. However, it is unclear why STUDs have a non-random distribution in time and space. It is generally thought that STUDs are formed by the circulation of groundwater in sandstone rocks. The groundwater is typically oxidized and sourced from local precipitation, which suggests the regional climate may have a role in the formation of STUDs. The groundwater circulation is mainly affected by basin evolution, which m...     

In situ Rb-Sr dating of mica by LA-ICP-MS/MS

Mica exhibits a relatively high Rb/Sr ratio and possesses a closure temperature for the Rb-Sr isotope system that is higher than the ore-forming temperature range of low-to medium-temperature deposits.Consequently,utilizing the laser ablation(LA) technique for in situ Rb-Sr dating in mica constitutes a significant methodology for resolving the mineralization chronology of low-to medium-temperature hydrothermal ore deposits.In this study,we employed a combination of a triple quadrupole inductivel...     

Long-term seismic network in South China Sea by floating MERMAIDs

Seismic data coverage in ocean regions is sparse, and it is highly challenging to build long-term continuous seismic networks in the oceans due to the restrictions related to the shortage of instruments and great costs. The lack of data coverage limits effective seismic imaging of deep mantle structures beneath the oceans, which cover 70% of the Earth’s surface. The newly developed Mobile Earthquake Recorder in Marine Areas by Independent Drivers(MERMAID) can drift with ocean currents at a speci...     

An early Cambrian Sidneyia(Arthropoda) resolves the century-long debate of its head organization

We report the extraordinarily preserved euarthropod Sidneyia minor sp. nov. from the Cambrian Stage 3 Xiaoshiba Lagerst?tte in Yunnan, South China. So far this is the earliest occurrence of the genus. As with other species of Sidneyia, the new taxon shares similar features such as a crescent-shaped head shield with paired lateral notches for stalked eyes, but more significantly and new, is the presence of three pairs of post-antennal appendages beneath the head shield identified by micro-CT meth...     

Salinity variation and hydrographic dynamics in the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin(South China)

Despite intensive study of the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin(ECNB) in South China, its degree of connectedness to the open ocean remains uncertain, impeding analysis of contemporaneous oceanic redox evolution and its role in the Cambrian Explosion. We analyzed bulk-shale B/Ga, a newly proposed proxy for watermass salinity in ancient depositional systems, for three sections(Daotuo, Yuanjia, and Zhalagou) representing a range of water depths in the ECNB and spanning early Cambrian Stages 2 and 3. Th...     

Impact history and origin of lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 15528

No samples from the Moon’s far side have been returned to Earth. Thus, lunar meteorite study can deepen the understanding of the Moon’s far side(if we can identify which lunar meteorites came from the Moon’s far side). The Northwest Africa(NWA) 15528 meteorite is a lunar feldspathic regolith breccia meteorite and we speculated it might originate from the Feldspathic Highlands Terrane(FHT) on the far side of the Moon. Here, we report detailed petrography, major and trace elements, and noble gas(H...     

Response of soil hydrological processes to soil rock fragments:A global Meta-analysis

The rock fragment (RF) has been widely observed in the soil solum or on the soil surface.It regulates soil hydrological processes (SHPs) and thus has great impacts on soil and water conservation.However,responses of SHPs to RF characteristics (position,content,coverage area,mulching thickness,and size) remain unclear.Based on the dataset extracted from 168 published studies,effects of RF characteristics on SHPs (soil loss rate,evaporation rate,surface runoff rate,infiltration rate,soil water con...     

The evolution of prehistoric arrowheads in northern China and its influential factors

Prehistoric projectile weapons are crucial for understanding the hunting behavior, survival strategies, and subsistence patterns of prehistoric humans. Arrowheads were the primary prehistoric projectile weapon, and here we review the spatiotemporal distribution and changes in the morphology, quantity, and materials composition of arrowheads in the northern regions of China from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods to the Bronze Age, together with the factors that influenced these changes. Th...     

The current and future of terrestrial carbon balance over the Tibetan Plateau

The contemporary carbon balance over the Tibetan Plateau is highly uncertain with a ten-fold difference between various estimates.In a warming world,the potential exists for a large carbon release from its permafrost which could compromise China’s 2060 carbon-neutral goal.Here,we used a satellite-and inventory-based approach,ecosystem models,and atmospheric inversions to estimate that the carbon sink was 33.12–37.84 TgC yr^–1during 2000–2015.The carbon sink induced by climate change an...     

Mobility of rhenium and selenium during chemical weathering and their implication for petrogenic organic carbon oxidation

The oxidative weathering of petrogenic organic carbon(OC_petro) is an important source of carbon dioxide(CO₂) into the atmosphere on geological timescales and significantly influences the carbon cycle and global climate change. However, at present, a robust proxy to assess OC_petrooxidation is lacking. Riverine rhenium(Re) has emerged as a potential proxy to trace OC_petrooxidation, but little is known about Re sources and its relationship with OC_pet...     

Most root-derived carbon inputs do not contribute to long-term global soil carbon storage

Plant root-derived carbon(C)inputs(I_root)are the primary source of C in mineral bulk soil.However,a fraction of I_rootmay lose quickly(I_loss,e.g.,via rhizosphere microbial respiration,leaching and fauna feeding)without contributing to long-term bulk soil C storage,yet this loss has never been quantified,particularly on a global scale.In this study we integrated three observational global data sets including soil radiocarbon content,allocation of photo syntheticall...     

Neogene subduction initiation models in the western Pacific and analysis of subduction zone parameters

The Neogene is an important period for studying the onset of subduction, with numerous subduction zones forming in the western Pacific, including the Ryukyu, Manila, Philippine, North Sulawesi, Halmahera, New Britain, Solomon, and New Hebrides subduction zones. However, studies on these subduction zones are relatively independent, so it is important to conduct systematic comparative studies. In this paper, we review the initiation models of Neogene subduction in the western Pacific, with the thr...     

Stress dependence of elastic wave dispersion and attenuation in fluid-saturated porous layered media

The fluid-saturated porous layered(FSPL) media widely exist in the Earth’s subsurface and their overall mechanical properties, microscopic pore structure and wave propagation characteristics are highly relevant to the in-situ stress. However, the effect of in-situ stress on wave propagation in FSPL media cannot be well explained with the existing theories. To fill this gap, we propose the dynamic equations for FSPL media under the effect of in-situ stress based on the theories of poroacoustoelas...     

Response of water-use efficiency to phenology in the natural forest and grassland of the Loess Plateau in China

Ecosystem water use efficiency(WUE) is an integrated physiological metric for the coupling cycle between terrestrial carbon, water, and energy. How WUE responds to vegetation phenology(e.g., SOS, EOS-start, end of growing season,and GSL-growing season length) shifting in temperate semi-arid regions is a hot spot in relative research fields. Based on remotesensing products and in-situ measured climate data, this study discussed how gross primary productivity(GPP), evapotranspiration(ET), and WUE(...     

Elasticity of high-pressure clinoenstatite under mantle conditions:Implications for the origin of the X-discontinuity

The X-discontinuity is characterized by 2–8% wave impedance contrasts and indistinguishable seismological Clapeyron slopes. Its origin is not yet entirely understood and attributed to a variety of plausible causes, among which the coesite-stishovite transition is a popular mechanism due to its large impedance contrasts. However, the sole coesite-stishovite transition is insufficient to explain indistinguishable seismological Clapeyron slopes of the X-discontinuity. The orthopyroxene(OPX) to high...     

Intercomparison of multi-model ensemble-processing strategies within a consistent framework for climate projection in China

Climate change adaptation and relevant policy-making need reliable projections of future climate. Methods based on multi-model ensemble are generally considered as the most efficient way to achieve the goal. However, their efficiency varies and inter-comparison is a challenging task, as they use a variety of target variables, geographic regions, time periods, or model pools.Here, we construct and use a consistent framework to evaluate the performance of five ensemble-processing methods, i.e., mu...