Reversed structures and bounce structures: are they recognizable? Are they real?

This note poses two related questions about structural evolution in rocks. How easy is it to recognize structural features that have reversed their sense of development over time? Are there circumstances in rock deformation where early intensification of structure sows the seeds for a later, more or less inevitable, diminution of intensity? It is suggested, as a partial answer to the first question, that there is an irreversibility principle inherent to most structural development, such that even if bulk strain is reversed, the structural changes that accompanied `forward' structural development will not be completely reversed when the strain is reversed. Where this principle applies, it should always be possible to recognize structural reversals, by sufficiently close observation of the final state. It is suggested, as a partial answer to the second question, that where energy is stored by forward structural changes, this energy can often be expected to drive further structural changes, and these further changes may sometimes cause the original structure to `bounce' back to a less intense state. These questions may have some bearing on developing a firmer basis for kinematic analysis, and for understanding overprinting structures in orogens.     

What factors control mechanical erosion rates?

Mechanical erosion rates are important factors in understanding how continents evolve. Mechanical erosion is much faster than chemical erosion, especially for highly elevated regions of the Earth's surface. It is a principal way in which mountain ranges are removed, exposing deep metamorphic roots, which comprise much of the older portions of the continental masses. In addition, there has to be a long-term balance between erosion and mountain building. A new data set allows us to explore in greater detail some of the many factors which control mechanical erosion rates. The most important factors are some expression of the average slope of a drainage basin, some measurement of the amount of water available for erosion, some environmental measurements, and also a measurement of basin length, for which we have no good explanation. The estimate of global mechanical erosion rate obtained here is considerably lower than those obtained by some other workers, some of whom have concentrated on the fact that smaller river basins tend to get eroded faster than larger basins, and it is mainly smaller basins which have not been measured and which are therefore not allowed for by simple arithmetic averaging of observed erosion rates. It is shown here that although smaller basins are eroded faster, this is mainly because they are steeper than larger basins. We also show that extrapolation of current data to smaller basins does not work because the observed continental area which is draining to the ocean cannot be attained by the simplest extrapolation scheme. Received: 23 October 1998 / Accepted: 29 June 1999     

What factors are responsible for the Beijing storm?

The Beijing storm of 21 July attracted public and social attention widely. Recently, some scientists expressed their opinion that urbanization has exacerbated the storm. However, our analysis suggests that while urbanization might have played some role, it is mainly the topographic effect that made the storm intense. Our conclusion is that the Beijing storm of 21 July is generated due to natural climatic factors in a changing climate system. Moreover, we think that the factor that contributes to the tremendous flooding disaster of 21 July is the low standards for mountain torrents control for medium and small rivers in the affected region. Therefore, the mountain torrents disasters control and medium and small rivers harnessing should be the foremost task in China’s water conservancy construction in the future, and effective adaptation strategies should also be developed and implemented to cope with the climate change impacts.     

What do geologists do when the coronavirus bites? Ideas for educators

The spread of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic has had a major effect on the way that geologists carry out their work—and particularly those engaged in educating the next generation of geologists. There are a number of resources available, and some, focussed on fostering interest in budding geologists, are presented here.     

Upstairs-downstairs: supercontinents and large igneous provinces,are they related?

There is a correlation of global large igneous province (LIP) events with zircon age peaks at 2700, 2500, 2100, 1900, 1750, 1100, and 600 and also probably at 3450, 3000, 2000, and 300 Ma. Power spectral analyses of LIP event distributions suggest important periodicities at 250, 150, 100, 50, and 25 million years with weaker periodicities at 70–80, 45, and 18–20 Ma. The 25 million year periodicity is important only in the last 300 million years. Some LIP events are associated with granite-forming (zircon-producing) events and others are not, and LIP events at 1900 and 600 Ma correlate with peaks in craton collision frequency. LIP age peaks are associated with supercontinent rifting or breakup, but not dispersal, at 2450–2400, 2200, 1380, 1280, 800–750, and ≤200 Ma, and with supercontinent assembly at 1750 and 600 Ma. LIP peaks at 2700 and 2500 Ma and the valley between these peaks span the time of Neoarchaean supercraton assemblies. These observations are consistent with plume generation in the deep mantle operating independently of the supercontinent cycle and being controlled by lower-mantle and core-mantle boundary thermochemical dynamics. Two processes whereby plumes can impact continental assembly and breakup are (1) plumes may rise beneath supercontinents and initiate supercontinent breakup, and (2) plume ascent may increase the frequency of craton collisions and the rate of crustal growth by accelerating subduction.     

Why did ancient chemosynthetic seep and vent assemblages occur in shallower water than they do today?

 Cold-seep communities have relatively low diversity, are dominated by one or two taxa present in high density and high biomass in comparison with the surrounding fauna, and are restricted to aphotic habitats. Their associated heterotrophic fauna are usually distinctive from the fauna of their surroundings. In contrast, a more commonplace chemoautotrophically based community occurs in shallow photic habitats. The associated heterotrophic fauna includes many of the species typical of the surrounding communities and typically dominates abundance, whereas the species with chemoautotrophic symbionts dominate biomass. All modern seep assemblages are deeper than 550 m. Many fossil seep assemblages occurred in water as shallow as the mid-shelf (<200 m). In contrast, communities where species with chemoautotrophic symbionts are biomass dominants, but not numerical dominants, are common in shallow waters at present but rarely reported in the geological record. We suggest that the absence of cold-seep communities on the continental shelf presently is due to a combination of predation and competitive exclusion by primary consumers limiting the presence of species dependent on chemoautotrophic symbionts. We suggest that cold-seep assemblages are more common at shelf depths in the fossil record for two reasons: (a) The biases of preservation have accentuated their distribution by transforming communities where species with chemoautotrophic symbionts dominate by biomass, but not numerically, into cold-seep-appearing assemblages. (b) The importance of predation pressure and oligotrophy has varied, with decreased predation pressure accompanying increased oligotrophy favoring cold-seep communities. We suggest that the paucity of shallow-water assemblages with species harboring chemoautotrophic symbionts as biomass dominants in the fossil record is based on the reliance of paleoecological analysis on numerical abundance data when energy flow analyses are required to identify these assemblages. The distinctiveness of the fossil seep assemblage is intensified by taphonomic processes that bias the assemblage against small individuals and epifaunal species, so that diversity declines, the small heterotrophic component of the assemblage is significantly reduced, and the epifaunal component is minimized. The final assemblage is usually dominated by the better-preserved large infaunal clams which perchance are also the species with chemoautotrophic symbionts. In contrast, preservation does not enhance the distinctiveness of these chemoautotroph-harboring species in shallow water. Received: 16 April 1998 / Accepted: 29 June 1999     

What kind of countryside do the public want: community visions from Wales UK?

This paper assesses how far community led rural visions accord with the current thrust of rural planning policy delivery in the UK. Adapting conventional visioning methods, qualitative techniques were used on eight different communities across urban, exurban and rural Wales to elicit views relating to the kind of local countryside(s) that were desired. The results show that the communities’ visions reflect an emerging consensus around local countryside priorities: multifunctionality, integration, wider countryside protection, development based on need, and local distinctiveness according with the thrust of current planning policy at national and local levels. However, there is a clear dichotomy between this and the reality of what communities actually experienced in developments affecting their countryside. Here, universal criticism was encountered over the type, pace and scale of development, the lack of rural specificity and the failure to take account of local community needs and priorities. It is hypothesized that tensions between national and local politics and stakeholder power relations are playing a crucial role in distorting the delivery of town and country planning. It is recommended that rural policy delivery must become more “joined up” and rural proofed at national and local levels concomitant with a change in the operational culture of agencies at the forefront of rural delivery. Essentially, effective engagement of top down approaches synergising with bottom up community led ideas is long overdue.     

Flooding: is it really getting worse?

Flooding appears to be an increasing issue in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Since 2000, the UK has experienced severe floods in York (2000), Cornwall (2004), Cumbria (2005), Hull (2007), Cumbria (2009), North Wales (2012) and UK (2013/14) (Fig. 1 ). These floods have occurred during the summer, autumn and winter periods, and have caused countless issues to the public, infrastructure and the government. Based on recent events it could be said that flooding is getting worse, but is that really the case?     

Weathering reactions and isometric log-ratio coordinates: Do they speak to each other?

The aim of this contribution is to explore the relationship among some concepts, often considered to be unrelated, such as weathering reactions, compositional data and fractals by means of distribution analysis.Weathering reactions represent the necessary transfer of heat and entropy to the environment in geochemical cycles. Compositional data express the relative abundance of chemical elements/species in a given total (i.e. volume or weight). Fractals are temporal or spatial objects with self-similarity and scale-invariance, so that internal structures repeat themselves over multiple levels of magnification or scales of measurement.Gibbs's free energy and the application of the Law Mass Action can be used to model weathering reactions, under the hypothesis of chemical equilibrium. Compositional data are obtained in the analytical phase after the determination of the concentrations of chemicals in sampled solid, liquid or gaseous materials. Fractals can be measured by using their fractal dimensions.In this paper, the presence of fractal structures is observed when the frequency distribution of isometric log-ratio coordinates is investigated, showing the logarithm of the cumulative number of samples exceeding a certain coordinate value plotted against the coordinate value itself. Isometric log-ratio coordinates (or balances) were constructed by using the sequential binary partition (SBP) method. The balances were identified to maintain, as far as possible, the similarity with a corresponding weathering reaction affecting the Arno river catchment (Tuscany, central Italy) as described by the Law of Mass Action. The emergence of fractal structures indicates the presence of dissipative systems, which require complexity, large numbers of inter-connected elements and stochasticity.     

What has Corruption Got to do with it? Understanding the Persistence of Rural-Urban and Inter-Regional Inequalities in Ghana and Zimbabwe

Inequalities are no respecter of countries, including the affluent ones. Nevertheless, these problems appear to prevail more in the developing countries, which have the dubious distinction of having the highest degrees of inequalities in the world. Inequalities exist between urban and rural areas, as well as between the various regions. This paper discusses inequalities in Ghana and Zimbabwe, emphasizing the rural–urban dichotomy. Using data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS) and the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) conducted by the respective statistical authorities of both countries and Macro International, the paper analyses existing inequalities in both countries. The paper also attempts to elucidate and understand the causes. It concludes that the traditional explanation of disparities that attribute the conditions to aberrations in the operations of market forces, while having some validity, may not provide a full explanation for Ghana and Zimbabwe’s predicament. It argues that whilst the existing disparities may be rooted in history, their persistence and worsening in the post-independence era could only be understood with reference to the corruption, nepotism and the mismanagement that have characterized these states since they gained their independence.     

Selenium enrichment in Carboniferous Shales,Britain and Ireland: Problem or opportunity for shale gas extraction?

The Carboniferous Bowland Shale in England, and its correlatives in Ireland, contain anomalously high concentrations of trace elements, including selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo) and arsenic (As). High levels of these elements reflect high sulphur contents as these elements occur as trace constituents of pyrite. Anomalous Se in particular may have a volcanic provenance, from contemporary volcanic activity and/or drainage from Ordovician volcanogenic sulphide deposits. Following concern over the release of Se and As into groundwater during shale gas extraction in the US, the potential fate of Se and As during any future shale gas extraction from the Bowland Shale merits attention. It is at least an environmental issue that must be managed, but at best it could be an opportunity for extraction of Se in an environmentally sensitive manner.     

A comparison of Jiaojia- and Linglong-type gold deposit ore-forming fluids: Do they differ?

The Jiaodong peninsula contains the most important concentration of gold deposits in China, which can be divided into Jiaojia-type and Linglong-type deposits based on mineralization style. The former is characterized by disseminated- and stockwork-style mineralization hosted in first-order regional faults, with relatively larger tonnages and lower gold grades. The latter is characterized by massive auriferous quartz veins commonly hosted in subsidiary second- or third-order faults, with smaller tonnage but higher grade orebodies. Despite these differences, both groups of deposits have the same alteration assemblages, mineral paragenesis, element concentrations, and ore-forming ages.The mainly Jiaojia-type Luoshan gold deposit and the mainly Linglong-type Fushan gold deposit are characterized by H-O-S-Pb isotope data that indicate the ore-forming fluids have a dominantly metamorphic source. The fluids were derived during the Yanshanian orogenic event, and were most likely associated with dehydration and decarbonization processes near the top of the subducting paleo-Pacific plate. The Linglong-type ores have relatively lighter calculated δ¹⁸O compositions (−3.9 to −2.3‰) than the Jiaojia-type ores (0.3–8.0‰), possibly because of a greater degree of mixing with meteoric water. Petrographic, cathodoluminescence, microthermometric, and laser Raman spectroscopic analyses of fluid-inclusion assemblages in quartz from the two types of ores indicate fluids were similar, in both cases characterized by medium–high homogenization temperatures (211–393 °C), significant CO₂ (∼15% mol), minor CH₄ (⩽18% in the carbonic phase), and low salinity (⩽11.2 wt% NaCl eq.). The Linglong-type ores, however, have a wider range of CO₂ and CH₄ concentration and salinity than the Jiaojia-type ores. Fluid immiscibility, occurred in main ore stage of both ore types, with the trapping conditions of 77–185 MPa and 284–328 °C, although the unmixing is more intense and widespread in the Linglong-type ores. Both fluid-wallrock interaction and fluid immiscibility are important gold-deposition processes in the two types, but immiscibility is more important in the Linglong-type ores and that has led to the typical higher gold grade.In general, there is little geochemical differences between the ore-forming fluids for Jiaojia- and Linglong-type gold deposits. Both Jiaojia- and Linglong-type ores can exist in a single deposit and form in the same metallogenic event. The Linglong-type ores developed as more massive veins, because of their location in zones of more extensive extension and they lack significant post-ore cataclastic deformation.     

Can sedimentary leaf waxes record D/H ratios of continental precipitation? Field, model, and experimental assessments

D/H ratios of leaf waxes (δD_wax) derived from terrestrial plants and preserved in lake sediments can provide important information on past continental hydrology. Ideally, δD_wax can be used to reconstruct precipitation D/H ratios (δD_P) which is a well-established paleoclimate proxy. However, many other factors, such as vegetation and relative humidity (RH), also affect δD_wax variation. How the combination of these factors affects sedimentary δD_wax is unclear. Here, we use a transect of 32 lake surface sediments across large gradients of precipitation, relative humidity, and vegetation composition in the southwestern United States to study the natural factors affecting sedimentary δD_wax. δD values of C₂₈n-alkanoic acids show significant correlation with δD_P values (R² = 0.76) with an apparent isotopic enrichment of ∼99 ± 8‰, indicating that sedimentary δD_wax values track overall δD_P variation along the entire transect. Leaf waxes produced by plants grown under controlled conditions (RH = 80%, 60%, 40%) show a small increase in D/H ratios as RH decreases, consistent with prediction from the Craig-Gordon model. However, the isotopic effect of RH on δD_wax along the natural transect is partially countered by the opposing influence of vegetation changes. The correlation between δD_wax and δD_P values is significantly higher (R² = 0.84) in the drier portions of the transect than in the wetter regions (R² = 0.64). This study suggests that D/H ratios of sedimentary leaf waxes can be used as a proxy for precipitation δD variations, with particularly high fidelity in dry regions, although more studies in other regions will be important to further test this proxy.     

Industry market reaction to natural disasters: do firm characteristics and disaster magnitude matter?

This study investigates the factors that drive US industry sectors’ response to domestic natural disasters for the period 1987–2018. In general, our results show that not all local industry portfolios experience more negative impacts than non-local industries. We find that location does matter, but the nature of the industry itself is also important. Moreover, results for firm size show that big firms outperform small firms, across many industry settings. Finally, disaster severity analysis reveals that industries react differently to disasters of different magnitudes, and the response also varies across the different disaster measures. Our findings provide a basis for development of equity reaction prediction in the event of natural disasters, thus mitigating the disaster risk.

     

What drives low-carbon consumption behavior of Chinese college students? The regulation of situational factors

Carbon dioxide contributes about 90% of global warming, which is mainly generated by residents’ daily consumption activities. This article explores the factors of low-carbon consumer behavior among college students and situational factors which contribute to explain intention–behavior gap. Combined with the existing research literature and the Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior, a model of the factors of Chinese college students’ low-carbon consumption behavior was constructed through a sample survey of college students in Jiangsu Province. Analysis results show that (1) College students’ low-carbon behavior intention has a significant positive effect on low-carbon consumption behaviors; (2) Attitudes, emotions, and habits indirectly affect low-carbon consumer behaviors through low-carbon behavior intention; (3) Low-carbon behavior ability and habits can also affect low-carbon consumption behaviors in a direct way; (4) The study of situational factors found that policies and regulations, economic costs, goals and feedback, and social norms have a significant regulating effect in the process of low-carbon behavior intention which has an impact on low-carbon consumption behaviors; (5) In terms of demographic factors, gender and education have a significant effect on low-carbon consumption behavior. Finally, this article discusses the policy measures to guide college students’ low-carbon consumption behavior from the government and the school level, respectively, and place a high hope on college students who can positively influence the entire social group to carry out low-carbon consumption and achieve the realization of China’s low-carbon goals.

     

Mercury enrichment and Hg isotopes in Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary successions: Links to volcanism and palaeoenvironmental impacts

We investigate the use of Hg as a proxy for volcanism by studying four distal and two proximal sections in relation to the Deccan volcanic center, straddling the Cretaceous–Paleogene (KPg) boundary at (a) Højerup (Denmark), Bottaccione and Padriciano (Italy), (b) Meghalaya and Jhilmili (India), and (c) Bajada del Jagüel (Argentina). Hg sequestration by organic matter results in constant Hg/TOC ratio and linear correlation between Hg content of the sediments and total organic carbon (TOC).Elevated Hg concentrations that deviate from this linear relationship represent most likely true Hg anomalies and these notable Hg/TOC spikes (all TOC <1%) are found in the Meghalaya, Bottaccione and Højerup sections within the CF2 planktic foraminiferal biozone (spike I), at the KPg boundary (spike II), and within the P1a planktic foraminiferal subzone (spike III). Spike III occurs also in the Jhilmili section. No clear correlation between Hg/TOC and Al₂O₃ exists in any of the studied sections. The Hg anomalies probably result from strong volcanic episodes of the Deccan phase-2 (started 250 kyr before the KPg boundary and lasted for 750 kyr) that exhaled sulfuric aerosols, carbon dioxide and other toxic agents which reached a critical threshold, represented in true Hg enrichments in the paleoenvironments. The possibility that Hg enrichments resulted from anoxia scavenging on the seafloor and penetration downward into sediments is not supported in the stratigraphic record of Mo/Al ratios redox proxy.Hg isotopes were analyzed in samples from all KPg boundary sections in this study and from Bidart, France, the latter for comparison. Hg isotopes yielded δ²⁰²Hg values ranging from −1 to −2‰ and Δ²⁰¹Hg signatures from 0 to 0.05‰ (spike II in Højerup, Bottaccione and Meghalaya KPg boundary layers) consistent with volcanic emission of Hg (0 to −2‰). The δ²⁰²Hg in spike I in Meghalaya and Padriciano and spike III in Jhilmili is consistent with volcanic emission of Hg. Two samples from Bajada del Jagüel and four from Bidart, however, display isotope signals compatible with volcanic emission/chondrite Hg. The results of three other samples are characteristic for reworked sediment, soil and/or peat. Most of the data show small positive Δ²⁰¹Hg, in favor of long-term atmospheric transport prior to deposition, supporting a volcanic origin for the Hg. The present study broadens, therefore, the potential use of Hg as stratigraphic marker and, moreover, confirms that in the critical KPg transition, Hg was enriched in paleoenvironments at three distinct stages during the Deccan phase-2.     

Pb concentrations and isotope ratios of soil O and C horizons in Nord-Trøndelag,central Norway: Anthropogenic or natural sources?

Soil O and C horizon samples (N = 752) were collected at a sample density of 1 site/36 km² in Nord-Trøndelag and parts of Sør-Trøndelag (c. 25,000 km²), and analysed for Pb and three of the four naturally occurring Pb isotopes (²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb) in a HNO₃/HCl extraction. Soil O and C horizons are decoupled in terms of both Pb concentrations and Pb isotope ratios. In the soil C horizon the Grong-Olden Culmination, a continuous exposure of the Precambrian crystalline basement across the general grain of the Caledonian orogen, is marked by a distinct ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratio anomaly. No clear regional or even local patterns are detected when mapping the Pb isotope ratios in the soil O horizon samples. Variation in the isotope ratios declines significantly from the soil C to the O horizon. On average, Pb concentrations in the O horizon are four times higher and the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratio is shifted towards a median of 1.15 in comparison to 1.27 in the C horizon. It is demonstrated that natural processes like weathering in combination with plant uptake need to be taken into account in order to distinguish anthropogenic input from natural influences on Pb concentration and the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratio in the soil O horizon.