Quartz luminescence dating of a centennial coastal foredune from Changle in Fujian Province,East China Sea

The Aeolian foredunes in the southern coast of China are records of paleoenvironmental changes for marine monsoon region. Intensive studies have been conducted to decipher their formation and paleoenvironmental implications in which chronology played a key role. However, robust dating results are still limited due to the scarcity of organic materials for radiocarbon and the limited application of quartz optically stimulated luminescence(OSL). Here, we collected 11 OSL samples and 140 grainsize s...     

Preliminary study on pisionids (Annelida: Polychaeta Pisionidae) from Hainan Island coastal waters, South China Sea

Of the four species ofPisione Grube (1856) collected from the coastal waters of Hainan Island, the South China Sea, and described in this paper,Pisione hainanensis n. sp. is new to science;Pisione oerstedii Grube, 1857;Pisione complexa Alikunhi, 1947, and Pisione levisetosa Zhao, Westheide & Wu, 1991 are reported for the first time from this area. Project 38970187 supported by NSFC.     

Late Pleistocene - Holocene slip history of the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault (Inner Mongolia,northern China) from cosmogenic <Superscript>10</Superscript>Be dating on a bedrock fault scarp

Offset geomorphic features and deformed late Quaternary strata indicate active deformation along the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault (LSPF), one of the most active faults in the Hetao fault zone in Inner Mongolia, North China. The widespread occurrence of bedrock fault scarps along the LSPF offers excellent opportunity to examine the faulting history. Using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating, we measured the exposure ages of the western Langshankou scarp, located in the middle segment of the LSPF. Our data revealed at least two earthquakes that occurred at 22.2±3.3 ka and 7.2±2.4 ka, respectively. These events are consistent with previous paleoseismic trench studies. The regression of the relationship between the age and sampling height along the scarp yield a fault slip rate of 0.10 +0.05/-0.06 mm/yr, which is significantly lower than the average post-late Pleistocene fault slip rate of ~1 mm/yr, as estimated from the offset of the T2 terraces by previous studies. This indicates that the slip of the LSPF may have been accommodated by other fault branches.     

Soil properties in two soil profiles from terraces of the Nam Co Lake in Tibet, China

This article investigates the soil properties in two soil profiles from the terraces of the Nam Co Lake in Tibet, China. Profile 1, with a slope aspect to east, is 37 m, and profile 2, to southwest, is 32 m above the lake level. Twelve and nine layers were identified in profile 1 and profile 2, respectively, based on the color, texture, structure, moisture content, presence of carbonate, and root density. Grain sizes and measurements of water content, total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon, total carbon, pH value and electrical conductivity were all analyzed for each sample. The results show that soil is poorly developed because of sparse vegetation coverage and weak chemical weathering in the cold and arid area. The results also indicate that the soil properties are different between the two profiles and suggest that soil is better developed in profile 1 than in profile 2. These differences are ascribed to the dissimilarity of landform, vegetation and timing. Profile 1 faces to east as compared with profile 2 facing to southwest and gets less insolation and therefore less evaporation. Thus, vegetation grows better in profile 1 than in profile 2. Radiocarbon dating and OSL dating show that profile 1 underwent a longer soil forming process than profile 2, which is helpful for the soil development in profile 1.     

华北盆地北缘宝坻断裂晚更新世以来的活动性研究

通过人工浅层地震反射剖面发现,在香河县荆庄地区,宝坻断裂表现为一条近EW走向的南倾正断层,剖面上呈铲状,对第四系沉积具有一定的控制作用,为一条第四纪活动断裂。通过部署在断层两侧的构造观察孔岩芯对比及¹⁴C测年、光释光测年数据可知,宝坻断裂上断点距地表5~7 m左右,主要活动时间为晚更新世,全新世及中更新世晚期无明显活动。岩芯对比表明,距今10万年以来,宝坻断裂共发生2次地震活动,累积位移2.6 m,其中最近一次地震发生于22 740±70 a BP,同震位移1.4 m;另一次地震发生于距今97.1±4.4~98.0±5.3 ka之间,同震位移1.2 m。根据本次钻孔结果,结合前人对张家口-渤海构造带东段断裂活动性及发震规律的研究,判断宝坻断裂全新世以来整体处于不活跃状态,诱发中强地震和大地震的可能性较低。此外,香河县荆庄一带发育的地裂缝为受宝坻断裂控制的构造型地裂缝,断裂南北两侧的不均匀地面沉降产生的剪切应力会加速荆庄地裂缝的发展。     

Late Pleistocene environmental information on the Diexi paleo-dammed lake of the upper Minjiang River in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau,China

In 1999, Diexi paleo-dammed lake(2349 m a.s.l.) was discovered around Diexi town along the Minjiang River in Sichuan province. Diexi is located where the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin meet. The dammed lake was formed during the Last Glacial Maximum of the Late Pleistocene(~30,000 years ago) and began to empty about 15,000 years ago. The lacustrine sediments(up to 240 m thick) preserve abundant paleoenvironment information. In this paper, a mass of oxygen isotopes and 14 C dating from drilled cores are analyzed and discussed. The δ18 O curve on the paleo climate from this section is comparable with the coeval paleo climatic curves of ice cores and karsts in China and others. Furthermore, the physical model testing has confirmed that the disturbed zones in the core are caused by strong earthquakes occurred at least 10 times, which implies strong crustal deformation, as an important driving force, affecting climate change. This study provides a new window to observe East Asian monsoon formation, paleoenvironmental evolution and the global climate change.     

Effects of an oasis protective system on aeolian sediment deposition:a case study from Gelintan oasis,southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert,China

Desert-oasis ecotones are boundary areas between oases and desert ecosystems.Large efforts to control sediment and stabilize these boundaries depend on understanding sedimentary processes,especially aeolian transport and deposition.Previous studies on aeolian sediment deposition have focused primarily on a single land surface type or a single engineering approach.Few studies have considered deposition in a multi-layer oasis protective system.A complete oasis protective system consists of an outer bare sand area,a sand barrier zone,a shrub and herbaceous plant zone,and a farmland shelter zone.This study used sedimentary analysis to quantify grain-size characteristics in samples from the four land surfaces under different types of weather conditions in the Gelintan oasis of the Tengger Desert,the fourth largest desert in China.The results showed that aeolian sediment deposition decreased from the outer bare sand area through the oasis protective system and into the interior.The four land surface types showed significant differences in deposition volume(P 0.05).Deposited sediment showed gradual decrease in dominant grain-size from sand to silt,but sediment deposited during dust weather contained a larger coarse-grained fraction.From the outer desert to the inner oasis,transport mechanisms shifted from saltation(sand) to suspension(silt and smaller) in non-dust weather.During dust weather,deposition primarily occurs from near-surface aeolian sand transport with saltation.Sediment sorting decreased from exterior to interior zones of the protective system while skewness and kurtosis showed no significant change(P 0.05).These results can help inform strategies for stabilizing and protecting desert-oasis ecotones in this region and other localities.     

Projections of changes in marine environment in coastal China seas over the 21st century based on CMIP5 models

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - The increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have caused fundamental changes to the physical and biogeochemical properties of the...     

Late Pleistocene-Holocene slip history of the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault(Inner Mongolia,northern China) from cosmogenic ~(10)Be dating on a bedrock fault scarp

Offset geomorphic features and deformed late Quaternary strata indicate active deformation along the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault(LSPF),one of the most active faults in the Hetao fault zone in Inner Mongolia,North China.The widespread occurrence of bedrock fault scarps along the LSPF offers excellent opportunity to examine the faulting history.Using cosmogenic (10)~Be exposure dating,we measured the exposure ages of the western Langshankou scarp,located in the middle segment of the LSPF.Our data revealed at least two earthquakes that occurred at 22.2±3.3 ka and 7.2±2.4 ka,respectively.These events are consistent with previous paleoseismic trench studies.The regression of the relationship between the age and sampling height along the scarp yield a fault slip rate of 0.10 +0.05/-0.06 mm/yr,which issignificantly lower than the average post-late Pleistocene fault slip rate of ~1 mm/yr,as estimated from the offset of the T_2 terraces by previous studies.This indicates that the slip of the LSPF may have been accommodated by other fault branches.     

Study on elemental fingerprint of traditional marine Chinese medicine oysters from Jiaozhou Bay, China

In order to investigate the relationship between the trace elements and the characteristics of the oysters, we analyzed the trace elements present in the germplasm of oysters from different producing areas in the Jiaozhou Bay. The element fingerprints were established to reflect the elemental characteristics of the oysters. Concentration patterns of the elements were deciphered by principle component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The six regions were discriminated with accuracy using HCA and PCA based on the concentration of 16 trace elements. The elements were viewed as characteristic elements of the oysters and the fingerprints of these elements could be used to distinguish the quality of the oysters.     

A new species of Eunice (Polychaeta: Eunicidae) from Hainan Island, South China Sea

Ataxonomic survey of benthic marine animals from coastal regions of Hainan Island, South China Sea, revealed specimens of a new species of Eunice (Polychaeta: Eunicida: Eunicidae), Eunice uschakovi n. sp., collected from the intertidal zone. The species belongs to the group of Eunice that has yellow tridentate subacicular hooks and branchiae scattered over an extensive region of the body. It resembles E. miurai and E. havaica in having both bidentate and tridentate falcigers, but can be readily distinguished by branchial features. Comparisons between E. uschakovi and the two related species are presented.     

REPORT ON PONTONIINE SHRIMPS（CRUSTACEA：DECAPODA）COLLECTED BY JOINT CHINESE—GERMAN MARINE BIOLOGY EXPEDITIONS TO HAINAN ISLAND,SOUTH CHINA SEA i.ANCHISTUS,CONCHODYTES,CORALLIOCARIS

The present paper reports 7 species of pontoniine shrimps collected from Hainan Island,South China Sea,by the Joint Chinese-German Marine Biology Expeditions,in which,Conchodytes nipponensis(De Haan,1844)and Coralliocaris brevirostris Borradaile,1898 are new records from Chinese waters.     

Gold mineralization in Jiaodong Peninsula and destruction of North China Craton: Insights from Mesozoic granite

Large-scale tectonic magmatism and extensive gold mineralization have occurred in the eastern North China Craton(NCC)(Jiaodong and Liaodong peninsulas) since Mesozoic, which indicated that the region experienced decratonization process. The genesis type of granites evolved from S-type to I-type and A-type during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, and thus reflects the evolution of geodynamics in the Late Mesozoic, indicating the varied subduction process of the Paleo-Pacific Plate(PPP) and the c...     

Spatial variations in depth-distribution of trace metals in coastal wetland sediments from Quanzhou Bay, Fujian Province, China

Four short cores were obtained from the coastal wetland of the Quanzhou Bay, Fujian Province, China, and sediment samples were analyzed with a Mastersizer 2000 for grain size analysis and an Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) for trace metal analysis. The results of grain size analysis show that the wetland sediments are mainly composed of silt and clay, and the distribution of median grain size is affected by human activities obviously. The results of trace metal analysis show that the wetland sediments mainly originate from terrestrial materials in the Luoyangjiang River estuary and from contaminants discharged from adjacent rivers in Shuitou area. The heavy metal contamination in Luoyangjiang estuary decreased from 1984 to 2004 due to industry transformation, but has increased since 2004 because of the discharge of contaminants to the Jinjiang River and much living sewerage to the bay, and a large number of trace metals are trapped within Spartina alterniflora marsh.     

A new species of Phyllochaetopterus Grube,1863(Polychaeta:Chaetopteridae) from Hainan Island,South China Sea

Phyllochaetopterus species are widely distributed on the coast of China.Here,Phyllochaetopterus hainanensis n.sp.,a new species collected from Hainan Island(China),is reported.It is characterized by having a V-shaped peristomium,two eyespots covered by a pair of large curved peristomial notopodia(cirri located beneath the palps),13-14 chaetigers in the anterior body region,with three enlarged modified chaetae on the fourth notopodium,and more than five chaetigers in the middle body region.The modified chaeta has a slightly inflated head with an obliquely truncate end.The new species resembles Phyllochaetopterus socialis Claparede,1869,but differs in the shape of peristomial notopodia and peristomium.Twelve species of Phyllochaetopterus have been described from the Pacific Ocean,including the new species described here.An identification key to the known Pacific species is provided together with a brief discussion of the taxonomic value of the eyespots for the genus.     

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in intertidal flat surface sediments from coastal zone of Jiangsu Province,China

Sixteen surface sediment samples were collected and analysed to evaluate the residues of organochlorine pesticides(OCPs) from intertidal flat in Jiangsu Province. Overall, 22 OCPs were detected with total concentrations of OCPs ranging widely from 0.96 to 12.14 ng/g(dry wt). Total hexachlorocyclohexane(HCH) and total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT) levels varied from 0.01 to 0.67 ng/g and from 0.23 to 4.85 ng/g, respectively. DDTs were the predominant compounds. The dominance of β-HCH indicated a history of HCH pollution. According to the ratios of( p, p'-DDD+ p, p'-DDE)/ p, p '-DDT and o, p ′-DDT/ p, p ′-DDT, new input of DDTs did not occur in most sites, and the main sources were historical usage of technical DDTs. OCPs such as dieldrin, endrin, p, p ′-DDD, and p, p ′-DDT exceeded the effects range low, showing adverse biological effects that would occasionally occur at some sites of the study area.     

Seismotectonics of the Taiwan Shoal region in the northeastern South China Sea: Insights from the crustal structure

A cluster of earthquakes occurred in the Taiwan Shoal region on the outer rise of the Manila Trench. Although most were of small to medium magnitudes, one strong earthquake occurred on September 16, 1994. Several previous studies have provided important information to progress our understanding of this single earthquake. However, little is currently known about the earthquake cluster, and it is necessary to investigate the deep crustal structure of the Taiwan Shoal region to understand the mechanisms involved in controlling and generating it. This study presents a two-dimensional seismic tomographic image of the crustal structure along the OBS2012 profile based on ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) data, which exhibits a high-velocity anomaly flanked by low-velocity anomalies in the upper crust beneath the Taiwan Shoal. In this study, 765 earthquakes (Richter magnitude M_L > 1.5) occurring between 1991 and 2015 were studied and analyses of earthquake epicenters, regional faults, and the crustal structure provides an improved understanding of the nature of active tectonics in this region. Results of analyses indicate firstly that the high-velocity area represents major asperities that correspond to the location of the earthquake cluster and where stress is concentrated. It is also depicted that the earthquake cluster was influenced by fault interactions. However, the September 1994 earthquake occurred independently of these seismic activities and was associated with reactivation of a preexisting fault. It is also determined that slab pull is resisted by the exposed precollision accretionary prism, and the resistive force is causing accumulation of inplane compressive-stress. This may trigger a future damaging earthquake in the Taiwan Shoal region.     

The bounding-surfaces record of a barrier spit from Huangqihai Lake,North China:implications for coastal barrier boundary hierarchy

Ground-penetrating radar and trenching studies of a barrier spit on the north shore of Huangqihai Lake were made,that reveal important implications for the coastal washover barrier boundary hierarchy and interpretations of this depositional record.A four-fold hierarchy bounding-surface model,representing different levels of impact and genesis,is defined.Each level of the hierarchy is enclosed by a distinct kind of surface characterized by different ground-penetrating radar reflection features,sedimentary characteristics(color,grain size,sorting,rounding and sedimentary structures) and origin.We suggest that this hierarchical model can be applied to any coastal washover barrier deposits.