First Ar/Ar age of the Ceprano man (central Italy)

The Ceprano calvarium, found in 1994 in Italy and attributed to Homo cepranensis, is one of the most celebrated hominin remains of Europe. It was considered at least 700 ka-old until a recent investigation incorporating magnetostratigraphy and K-Ar ages from the literature assigned to the calvarium an age of ∼450 (+50, −100) ka. Here we pin down the age of the Ceprano calvarium to 353 ± 4 ka (±1σ external) by means of new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on K-feldspars retrieved from the sediments that hosted the skull. In absence of evidence of reworking, this refined age sinks the conviction that H. cepranensis belonged to human evolution at the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary (c.a. 781 ka). Our refined age indicates that H. cepranensis lived in central Italy probably during the cold period of marine isotope stage (MIS) 10, and that despite his archaic morphology and lack of Neanderthal traits, he was contemporaneous with more advanced species such as H. heidelbergensis.     

利用S波高频衰减对天山中东段地区地壳Q值成像

利用天山中东段地区25个数字地震台站记录到的2009~2014年底5076个近震波形资料以及新疆地震台网提供的观测报告,采用遗传算法对S波位移谱的高频衰减进行拟合,得到19140条衰减算子t~*数据。根据这些t*数据,反演得到该区地壳Q_s值分布。结果表明,天山中东段地区平均Q_0值为520,其Q_s值分布及其所揭示的衰减变化特征与研究区的地表构造明显相关。天山南北两侧的山区盆地交汇部位Q_s值较低,而高Q_s值较为集中地分布于天山造山带内部。1900年以来天山中东段地区6级以上强震大多位于低Q_s值区域,该区24个高热流点也大多位于上述天山南北两侧的低Q_s值区域,热流值与衰减值呈负相关;此外,研究区的速度结构与衰减结构也呈一定的正相关,反映了二维衰减结构特征与速度结构、二维密度结构的一致性。     

微囊藻水华的资源化利用:吸附重金属离子Cu2+、Cd2+和Ni2+的实验研究

为将捞取的微囊藻水华资源化,用作重金属生物吸附剂,本文研究了在不同金属离子浓度和不同pH条件下微囊藻水华对重金属Cu²⁺、Cd²⁺和Ni²⁺的吸附效果.研究结果显示,重金属离子浓度分别为20.00、60.00、100.00和140.00μg/ml时,150 mg干重微囊藻水华对Cu²⁺的去除率分别为67.79%、37.47%、35.93%和34.70%,对Cd²⁺的去除率分别为73.31%、65.87%、60.09%和42.37%,对Ni²⁺的去除率分别为47.89%、31.87%、28.46%和21.61%.在较低的重金属浓度(20.00μg/ml)下,微囊藻对3种重金属的去除率最高.但从单位微囊藻生物量吸附重金属量来看,金属离子初始浓度越高,吸附重金属的总量越高;在相同金属浓度下,微囊藻水华对3种金属的吸附效率:Cd²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Ni²⁺.微囊藻吸附Cu²⁺的最适pH为5.0,Cd²⁺和Ni²⁺均为6.0,20.00μg/ml浓度时去除率分别达到了71.90%、85.67%和55.43%.微囊藻裂解释放的可溶性物质对重金属吸附影响不大.研究结果显示微囊藻水华可作为重金属吸附剂有效地运用于重金属污水处理.     

<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar ages of the<Emphasis Type="Italic"> AD</Emphasis> 79 eruption of Vesuvius,Italy

The Italian volcano, Vesuvius, erupted explosively in AD 79. Sanidine from pumice collected at Casti Amanti in Pompeii and Villa Poppea in Oplontis yielded a weighted-mean ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 1925±66 years in 2004 (1σ uncertainty) from incremental-heating experiments of eight aliquants of sanidine. This is the calendar age of the eruption. Our results together with the work of Renne et al. (1997) and Renne and Min (1998) demonstrate the validity of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method to reconstruct the recent eruptive history of young, active volcanoes.     

Secular variations ing 1 0 component of geomagnetic field and its origin

The secular variations (SV) ing ₁ ⁰ of geomagnetic field, caused by the interaction between the geomagnetic field and the radial fluid-flow of the outer-core, are discussed with both statistical and analytic methods. When the value ofg ₁ ⁰ s ₂ ⁰ is relatively high compared with other terms, SV ing ₁ ⁰ is characterized by exponential change. When the effect of non-dipole field is notable, SV ing ₁ ⁰ shows complex features. Especially when the value of g ₁ ⁰ is close to zero, SV ing ₁ ⁰ is completely determined by the random process of non-dipole fields. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49429405) and by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Temporal and spatial variations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>15</Superscript>N and <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O for atmospheric N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O above the oceanic surface from Shanghai to Antarctica

During the 22nd Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-22), the atmospheric gas samples above the oceanic surface and near the surface were collected on the track for the scientific ship “Xuelong” and on Millor Peninsula of eastern Antarctica, respectively, using the Tedlar gas bags. Every day the sampling times were 10:00 and 22:00 (local time), respectively. In the laboratory, high-precision measurement of the isotopic compositions for N₂O in these gas samples was conducted using Thermo Finnigan MAT-253 Isotopic Mass Spectrometer with a fully automated interface for the pre-GC concentration (PreCon) of trace gases. The temporal and spatial variations of δ ¹⁵N and δ ¹⁸O in atmospheric N₂O were analyzed. The mean δ ¹⁵N and δ ¹⁸O-N₂O values above the oceanic surface were (7.21±0.50)‰ and (44.52±0.52)‰, respectively. From 30°N to Antarctica, the δ ¹⁵N (6.05‰–7.88‰) linearly increased with the rate of about 0.01‰ with the latitude while the δ ¹⁸O (43.05‰–48.78‰) showed a large fluctuation. The δ ¹⁵N negatively correlated with air temperature and N₂O concentration, and slightly positively correlated with δ ¹⁸O. The summertime variations of δ ¹⁵N and δ ¹⁸O-N₂O appeared the same trend on Millor Peninsula of eastern Antarctica. They significantly positively correlated with each other and negatively with N₂O concentration. The δ ¹⁵N and δ ¹⁸O-N₂O at different sites averaged (7.42±0.35)‰ and (44.69±0.49)‰, respectively, slightly higher than those above the oceanic surface, significantly higher than those of atmospheric N₂O in the low-latitude regions of Northern Hemisphere. The predominant factors affecting the spatial variations of δ ¹⁵N and δ ¹⁸O values were also discussed. The isotopic data given in this study can help to investigate the global and regional N₂O budgets. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40676005 and 40406001)     

一秋龄性成熟中华绒螫蟹的生物学──1.外部形态特征及性腺变化

极大螺旋藻藻体ＳＯＤ聚丙烯酰胺梯度凝胶电泳呈现４条同工酶带,Ｈ２Ｏ２明显抑制该酶活性,ＫＣＮ对酶活性无影响,确认为Ｆｅ－ＳＯＤ。经硫酸铵分部盐析,离子交换柱层析及凝胶过滤,纯化到电泳单斑点均一程度。纯化的Ｆｅ－ＳＯＤ分子量为３９．３ＫＤ,亚基分子量为２０ＫＤ,金属元素分析表明,每个亚基含０．５５个Ｆｅ原子。该酶在紫外区最大吸收峰值为２７５．８ｎｍ,该酶氨基酸组成与蓝,绿藻和高等植物的Ｆｅ－ＳＯＤ相     

Variations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O in precipitation from the Muztagata Glacier,East Pamirs

Expeditions to Muztagata (in the eastern Pamirs) during the summer seasons of 2002 and 2003 collected precipitation samples and measured their oxygen isotopes. The δ ¹⁸O in precipitation displays a wide range, varying from −17.40‰ to +1.33‰ in June-September 2002 and from −22.31‰ to +4.59‰ in May-August 2003. The δ ¹⁸O in precipitation correlates with the initial temperature of precipitation during the observing periods. The positive correlation between δ ¹⁸O and temperature suggests that δ ¹⁸O can be used as an indicator of temperature in this region. The δ ¹⁸O values in fresh-snow samples collected from two snow events at different elevations on the Muztagata Glacier show a strong “altitude effect”, with a ratio of nearly −0.40% per 100 m from 5500 m to 7450 m.     

Temporal and spatial variation on codaQ −1 associated with the North Palm Springs earthquake of July 8, 1986

A temporal and spatial change of codaQ ^–1 associated with the occurrence of the North Palm Springs earthquake of July 8, 1986 was studied by using 242 small local earthquakes in the vicinity of the mainshock. We found that the codaQ ^–1 of earthquakes which occurred before the mainshock was significantly higher than that of the aftershocks in the mainshock area while the codaQ ^–1 for the surrounding area remained almost constant throughout 1986. CodaQ ^–1 was determined separately for the lapse time windows of 10 to 20 sec. and 15 to 40 sec. for the period from 1981 to 1987. The result for the time window 10 to 20 sec. showed a peak in codaQ ^–1 before the time of mainshock at all frequencies. The peak appeared earlier at lower frequencies. There was no significant change in codaQ ^–1 for the time window 15 to 40 sec., probably because the change was restricted to a small area.     

Concentrations of 137Cs, 90Sr, 108m Ag, 239+240 Pu and atom ratio of 240Pu/239Pu in tanner crabs, Chionoecetes japonicus and Chionoecetes opilio collected around Japan

The anthropogenic radionuclides, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, ^108mAg, ^239+240Pu, were measured in two Chionoecetes species, red queen crab (Chionoecetes japonicus) and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) collected around Japan during 1996–2007. There was no increase in the concentrations of these radionuclides and no large variation of the atom ratio of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu during this research period. These results indicated that the source of the radionuclides was not the radioactive wastes dumped by the former USSR and Russia and originated from past nuclear weapon tests. The higher atom ratio in the crab species than that from global fallout would be contributed by the Pacific Proving Grounds close-in fallout. The variability of the concentration of radionuclides in the crab species would result from the variability of the composition and quantity in the diet. However, the decrease in the concentration of radionuclides with sampling depth would depend on the concentration in the seawater and diet.     

Geochemical evidence for non-marine depositional environment of foraminiferal fossils from the Nihewan Basin, China

From the first finding in 1970s, the findings of foraminiferal fossil assemblages in inland basins have been reported from time to time, especially in recent years. The debates on the depositional environment of foraminiferal fossils have become the hot spot of researches again in China. Based on the researches of trace element geochemistry and electron scanning microscope of shells of Quaternary foraminiferal fossils from the Xiaodukou section in the inland Nihewan basin, the original ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and other geochemical information of shells were believed to be preserved well and could be used to rebuild the geochemistry of contemporary waters where foraminifera deposited, although there existed some effects of burial diagenesis on the geochemistry of shells to a certain extent. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of well-preserved Xiaodukou foraminiferal shells were measured, giving a range of 0.711190±25–0.712018±14, apparently higher than the value of contemporary seawater (0.709087–0.709147) and similar to that of the Sanggan River, proving that it represented the value of the ancient lacustrine water. The hyperbolic mixing models of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-palaeosalinity and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-Sr/Ca indicated that the contemporary waters where Xiaodukou foraminifera inhabited was an inland lake and there was no seawater input to the depositional environment.     

青海湖泉湾镭同位素的空间分布与沿岸地下水排放评价

青海湖是青藏高原的重要组成部分,它是维系青藏高原东北部生态安全的重要水体.其沿岸地下水的排放直接影响了青海湖的水文生物地球化学过程,然而对该问题的研究仍然不充分.本研究于2014年对青海湖泉湾湖水、河水和地下水进行223Ra和224Ra活度的测定分析,并对泉湾湖水水平向和垂直向的Ra活度分布进行深入分析,最后估算并探讨了泉湾水体的停留时间和布哈河口沿岸地下水的排放通量.表层湖水、河水、地下水不同端元的水体223Ra和224Ra活度值分别为0.441和0.026 dpm/100 L、0.22和0.016 dpm/100 L以及0.061和1.30 dpm/100 L,最高值为地下水,其次湖水,河水最小;总体上泉湾湖水223Ra和224Ra活度随离岸距离增加分别由0.047到0.011 dpm/100 L和1.4到0.2 dpm/100 L的减小,垂向上Ra活度呈楔形分布,Ra活度在不同方向上的非保守性分布主要受到悬浮颗粒物解析的影响;通过水体滞留时间模型计算获得青海湖泉湾水体的平均停留时间为1.8天,进一步分析泉湾水体Ra的源汇项,应用镭同位素质量平衡模型获得泉湾布哈河口沿岸地下水排放通量为0.054～0.109 m3/(m2·d).     

Scaling and correlation of atmospheric acid deposition evolutions

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and power spectrum density are applied to verify the presence of temporal scaling behavior and long-range persistence (LRP) of weekly hydrogen ion deposition (WHD), NO₃^- and SO₄^2- deposition series in National Atmospheric Deposition Program, USA, for the period 1978–2001. The results show a common scaling behavior for all sites analyzed. Two distinct scaling regions are identified by DFA1, one corresponding to 1 month to 1 year and the other to 1 year to 5 years. The WHD series obey power-law in two temporal regimes respectively with mean DFA1 scaling exponents α ₁≈0.68 and α ₂≈0.45, implying the presence of LRP in the acid deposition series and there is a tendency for a large deposition event to be followed by another large event, and vice versa. For DFA2–DFA4, however, the annual crossover, which divides the temporal scale into two regimes, disappears gradually with the order q of DFAq increasing, and the two scaling regimes turn to share the same scaling exponent close to α ₁. The result indicates that the scaling behavior exits in the two regimes with the same scaling exponent α ₁, and LRP prevails during the examined 1-month to 5-years scale. NO₃^- and SO₄^2- deposition evolve the same way as WHD does, implying the pollutants involving in acid deposition may share some prominent mechanism controlling their evolutions. We ascribe the long-range power-law scaling of acid deposition evolutions to the self-organized critical behavior of atmosphere under pollution stress and it should be considered in the trend prediction of acid deposition as an important factor.     

Ar/Ar and C geochronology of the Albano maar deposits: Implications for defining the age and eruptive style of the most recent explosive activity at Colli Albani Volcanic District,Central Italy

New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and ¹⁴C ages have been found for the Albano multiple maar pyroclastic units and underlying paleosols to document the most recent explosive activity in the Colli Albani Volcanic District (CAVD) near Rome, Italy, consisting of seven eruptions (Albano 1 = oldest). Both dating methodologies have been applied on several proximal units and on four mid-distal fall/surge deposits, the latter correlated, according to two current different views, to either the Albano or the Campi di Annibale hydromagmatic center. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages on leucite phenocrysts from the mid-distal units yielded ages of ca. 72 ka, 73 ka, 41 ka and 36 ka BP, which are indistinguishable from the previously determined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the proximal Albano units 1, 2, 5 and 7, thus confirming their stratigraphic correspondence.     

汞胁迫对菹草无菌苗生理代谢的影响

以菹草(Potamogeton crispus L.)无菌苗为实验材料,研究其在不同浓度汞(Hg²⁺)的胁迫下,光合色素含量、叶绿体自发荧光强度、ATP酶活性及相关矿质营养元素(Ca、Mg、Na、K、Fe)的含量变化以及可溶性蛋白含量的变化,以探讨Hg²⁺胁迫对菹草无菌苗光合系统及相关生理指标变化的影响.研究表明:随着Hg²⁺浓度的增加,各种光合色素的含量均呈现下降的趋势,叶绿体自发荧光强度逐渐减弱;Na/K逐渐增大,Na⁺ K⁺-ATP酶活性逐渐降低,Ca²⁺ Mg²⁺-ATP酶活性呈先升后降趋势;可溶性蛋白含量先升后降.结果表明,菹草无菌苗在Hg²⁺胁迫下,光合及其它正常的生理过程遭到破坏,功能紊乱.     

Cr6+胁迫对水花生(Alternanthera philoxeroides)愈伤组织多胺代谢的影响

利用植物组织培养技术培养水花生愈伤组织并以此为实验材料,研究了不同Cr6+浓度(0、0.1、0.3、0.6、0.9 mmol/L)对水花生愈伤组织中腐胺(putrescine,Put)、亚精胺(spermidine,Spd)、精胺(spermine,Spm)、脯氨酸(Pro)含量及精氨酸脱羧酶(ADC)、鸟氨酸脱羧酶(...     

Temporal variations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O of atmospheric water vapor at Delingha

Oxygen stable isotope of atmospheric water vapor is widely used to study the modern process of climate. Atmospheric water vapor samples were collected at Dlingha, northeast of Tibetan Plateau during the period from July 2005 to February 2006. The variation of δ ¹⁸O and the relationships between δ ¹⁸O and both the temperature and specific humidity are analyzed in this paper. Results show that the seasonal variation of δ ¹⁸O of atmospheric water vapor at Delingha is remarkable with higher δ ¹⁸O in summer and lower δ ¹⁸O in winter. The temporal variation of vapor δ ¹⁸O shows obvious fluctuations, with magnitude of over 37‰ The daily variation of the δ ¹⁸O is highly correlated with air temperature. The relationship between δ ¹⁸O and atmospheric water vapor content is complex. Study shows that δ ¹⁸O of atmospheric water vapor is positively correlated with specific humidity in winter in seasonal scale and inversely correlated with specific humidity in summer rainy period. The δ ¹⁸O values of atmospheric water vapor are lower than those of precipitation at Delingha, and the average difference is 10.7‰ Variations of δ ¹⁸O of atmospheric water vapor is also found to be affected by precipitation events, The model results show that the precipitation effect could have caused the vapor δ ¹⁸O in the raining season to lower by 7% in average in July and August. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40671043, 40571039 and 40771048) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2005CB422002)     

Interrelation between fault zone structures and earthquake processes

In order to develop capabilities for predicting earthquake processes on the basis of known fault zone structures and stress conditions, we need to find relations between seismogenic structures and processes. In the present paper we search for the scale dependence in various earthquake phenomena with the hope to find some structures in the earth that may control the earthquake processes. Among these phenomena, we shall focus on (1) geologic structures which play some role in nucleation and stopping of earthquake fault rupture, (2) depth ranges of the brittle seismogenic zone, (3) asperities and barriers distributed over a fault plane, (4) source-controlledf _max effect, (5) nonfractal behavior of creep events, and (6) temporal correlation between codaQ ^–1 and seismicity of earthquakes with magnitude characteristic to a given area. Our review of various scale-dependent phenomena leads us to propose a working hypothesis that the temporal change in codaQ ^–1 may reflect the activity of creep fractures near the brittle-ductile transition zone.     

A large excess of 210Po in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat, in the South China Sea

The temporal variability of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb was examined in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat to detect nutrient-like behavior of ²¹⁰Po. Different mechanisms influencing their geochemical behaviors were observed. Excess ²¹⁰Po relative to ²¹⁰Pb revealed an additional input of ²¹⁰Po other than in situ production from ²¹⁰Pb. The ²¹⁰Po input comes from the reef flat sediment through diffusion. The diffusion contributes 62% of the total ²¹⁰Po. This diffusion of ²¹⁰Po directly highlights its nutrient-like behavior. No input, but the slight removal, of ²¹⁰Pb was observed. Fractionation factors indicate that particulate matter prefers to adsorb ²¹⁰Po rather than ²¹⁰Pb. In combination with particulate composition, ²¹⁰Po diffusion was closely related to organic matter. These results reveal that ²¹⁰Po might be a potential tracer for quantifying nutrient recycling in the Coral Reef system.