A proposed Global Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） for the base of the Upper （Late） Pleistocene Subseries （Quaternary System/Period）

Following the precedence already established during the INQUA Congress in 1932, the Middle/Upper （Late） Pleistocene boundary is defined at the base of the Last Interglacial, the Eemian Stage. It is proposed that a high-resolution core sequence from the Amsterdam Terminal （the Eemian Stage parastratotype） should constitute the Global Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） for the base of the Upper （Late） Pleistocene Subseries （Quaternary System/Period）.     

Selected aspects of studies of sediments from the Ebro River （Spain） and the Dobczyce drinking water reservoir （Poland） within the frames of the European and national research projects

Mineral and organic matter either soluble or suspended are transported by the rivers and when deposited in the bed of the river or in the water reservoir, sediments are formed, whose chemical composition may serve as a fingerprint of the history of the ecosystem. The results of the studies of sediments in water systems （river catchments, reservoirs） can be used not only for the evaluation of the current state of the ecosystem but also to prevent any dangerous environmental changes. Bottom sediments can in many ways accumulate both suspended and soluble components. The process is influenced by several factors like pH, red-ox potential, oxygen content, interactions, etc. The complexity of those phenomena causes that in order to study the accumulation processes of compounds in sediments the application of various analytical techniques is required. The authors participate in two big projects on sediment studies. The AquaTerra Project is the EU funded project on understanding river-sediment-soil-groundwater interactions for support of management of river basins and catchment areas. Our group＇s studies are focused on mercury determination and its speciation in sediments and fish from the Ebro River in Spain. The Dobczyce Project is the national project funded by the Ministry of Education and sciences of Poland which is also a EU member country. The latter covers many aspects of accumulation and fate processes of chemical compounds in sediments of the reservoir which supplies 60% of drinking water to about one million population in the city of Krakow in Poland.     

REE and Other Trace Element Chemistry of Oldhamite（CaS） in the Qingzhen Chondrite（EH3） and Their Genetic Implications

Instrumental neutron activation analysis(INAA) of 14 single oldhamite grains separated from the Qingzhen chondrite (EH3) for refractory(La,Ce,Sm ,Eu,Yb,Lu,Ca,Sc,Hf, and Th),volatile (Na,Cr,Zn,Se,Br,etc.)and siderophile elements (Fe,Ni,Co,Ir,Au ,and As) revealed that oldhamite is highly rich in refractory elements.The mineral serves as the principal carrier of REE and contains about 80% of the REEs in the Qingzhen enstatite chondrite .Furthermore, the large enrichment of LREE relative to HREE is noticed in oldhamite from the Qingzhen .In general, the oldhamite from metal-sulfide assemblages is richer in REE than that from the matrix,i.e.,the earlier the oldhamite grains condensed, the richer they are in REE. Meanwhile.oldhamite is also rich in vol-atile elements such as Se,Br, etc.In terms of the distribution of trace elements in oldhamitc from the Qingzhen ,the chondrite is srggested to have resulted from high-temperature condensation of solar nebula.     

The Global Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） for the base of the Holocene Series/Epoch （Quaternary System/Period） in the NGRIP ice core

The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP （NGRIP） contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution. Analysis of an array of physical and chemical parameters within the ice enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision.     

Three sessions of the International Geological Congress held in Russia and the USSR （1897,1937, 1984）

Editorial note--The International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences has undertaken to organize a series of short articles for Episodes on the history of the different Sessions of the International Geological Congress. These were held as follows:France (1878), Italy (1881), Germany (1885), UK (1888), USA(1891), Switzerland (1894), Russia (1897), France (1900), Austria(1903), Mexico (1906), Sweden (1910), Canada (1913), Belgium(1922), Spain (1926), South Africa (1929), USA (1933), USSR(1937), UK (1948), Algeria (1952), Mexico (1956), Denmark/Finland/Norway/Sweden/Iceland (1960), India (1964), Czechoslovakia(1968), Canada (1972), Australia (1976), France (1980), USSR(1984), USA (1989), Japan (1992), China (1996), Brazil (2000). Any authors wishing to offer contributions on the meetings in Mexico(1906), Canada (1913), Belgium, Denmark, India, Canada (1972),and Brazil are invited to contact the INHIGEO Secretary-General at: doldroyd@optushome.com.au. The papers will not appear inchronological order.     

The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） of the Tortonian Stage （Upper Miocene） at Monte Dei Corvi

The GSSP of the Tortonian Stage, which per definition marks the base of the Tortonian and, hence, the boundary between the Serravallian and Tortonian Stages of the Middle and Upper Miocene Subseries, has recently been defined and ratified by the IUGS. The boundary stratotype-section is Monte dei Corvi (Italy) where the Tortonian GSSP is now formally at the mid-point of the sapropel of small-scale sedimentary cycle no. 76, close to the last common occurrences (LCOs) of the calcareous nannofossil Discoaster kugleri and the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides subquadratus and associated with the short normal subchron C5r.2n. The GSSP level coincides closely with oxygen isotope event Mi-5 and the associated glacio-eustatic sea-level low-stand of supercycle T3.1 and concurrent deep-sea hiatus NH4,and is dated astronomically at 11.608 Ma. The Monte Gibliscemi section is accepted as an auxiliary boundary stratotype because the better preservation of the calcareous microfossils in this section enables quantitative analyses and the construction of a stable isotope record.     

Thermal and Collision History of Jilin（H5） and Qingzhen（EH3） Chondrites

This paper deals with the effects of thermal and collision events which had been experienced by the Jilin(H5) and Qingzhen(EH3) chondrites before they fell to the earth .The HRTEM and opti-cal microscopic investigations show that the Jilin chondrite has undergone more extensive thermal heating and two stages of collision,while the Qingzhen chondrite has experienced weak thermal events after the accretion of its parent body and one stage of moderate collision.The schematic dia-grams of the process of formation and evolution of these two meteorites are given in the present pa-per.     

Shape-Controlled Synthesis of ZnO Nano- and Microstructures by Tuning the Alkalinity via a Hydrothermal Process in the Presence of Poly （Acrylic Acid） （PAA）

The sizes and morphologies of hexagonal phase ZnO crystals were successfully controlled by a hydrothermal process in the presence of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA). The dosage of NaOH in this reaction system proved to be crucial in the growth process. With the increase of dosage from 0.7 g to 3.0 g, the morphologies of the ZnO crystals changed from nanoplates to microrods. Their optical properties were also investigated.     

Zircon U-Pb Ages of Bottom and Top Parts of the Zhangjiakou Formation in Lingyuan Area （West Liaoning Province） and Luanping Area （North Hebei Province） and Their Significance

Thecharacteristicsofthetectonics,stratigraphy, paleontologyandvolcanicpetrologyoftheMesozoicin NorthHebeiandWestLiaoningaresimilarinmanyas pects,butthetworegionsalsohavesomeobvious differences.Thetworegionshavebeen“hotspots”inthegeologicalworldforafewy…