The cranial morphology and taxonomic status of Tarchia (Dinosauria: Ankylosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia

The taxonomic status of specimens referred to Tarchia kielanae, T. gigantea, and Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani has been contested. The holotype of T. kielanae, Zaklad Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology)-Polish Academy of Sciences (ZPAL) MgD I/111, is redescribed. It has features common to both Palaeontological Institute-Russian Academy of Sciences (PIN) 3142/250, long considered Tarchia, and to M. ramachandrani but which are lacking in Saichania chulsanensis. The specimen PIN 3142/250 is not referable to Saichania but instead represents a new species, Tarchia teresae sp. nov. Similarly, the holotype skull of M. ramachandrani is not referable to T. kielanae, so Minotaurasaurus is a valid taxon. Tarchia is more derived than either Saichania or Minotaurasaurus while sharing features of both.     

The taxonomic identity of a nearly complete ankylosaurid dinosaur skeleton from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia

Mongolian Paleontological Center (MPC) 100/1305 is one of the most complete ankylosaurid skeletons ever collected, and includes much of the postcranial skeleton and numerous in situ osteoderms. This specimen has been referred to Saichania chulsanensis, based on the similarity of the skull compared to the holotype of Saichania, MPC 100/151. However, MPC 100/1305 does not include a skull, and so referral of MPC 100/1305 to Saichania must be based on postcranial characters. Comparison of the postcrania of MPC 100/1305 and MPC 100/151 reveals several differences in the scapula, humerus, and metacarpals, indicating that MPC 100/1305 should not be referred to Saichania. Additionally, although it was previously reported that MPC 100/1305 was collected from the Baruungoyot Formation at Khulsan in Mongolia, collection records indicate that this specimen was instead collected from the Djadokhta Formation at Zamyn Khond. Two ankylosaurid species are known from the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia and China, Pinacosaurus grangeri and P. mephistocephalus. There are no diagnostic characters in MPC 100/1305 that can be used to refer this specimen to P. grangeri or P. mephistocephalus, and there are a few differences between MPC 100/1305 and Pinacosaurus, such as the number of caudal vertebrae, and morphology of the coracoid, which have uncertain taxonomic implications. At present, MPC 100/1305 is best referred to Ankylosauridae indet., or cf. Pinacosaurus, based on its generally congruent morphology with Pinacosaurus and its provenance from the Djadokhta Formation, in which Pinacosaurus is the only recognized ankylosaurid taxon.     

Distribution of the dentary groove of theropod dinosaurs: Implications for theropod phylogeny and the validity of the genus Nanotyrannus Bakker et al., 1988

This study examines the phylogenetic distribution of a morphologic character, described as a groove containing pores, on the lateral surface of the dentary bone in theropod dinosaurs. The nature of this groove is a feature unique to theropods. Of the 92 theropod taxa examined for the presence and absence of this feature, 48 possessed and 44 lacked this feature. Distribution of this character was compared to published phylogenetic analyses of theropods, in order to evaluate the utility of the dentary groove as a diagnostic feature. 80% of pre-Tyrannoraptoran theropods possessed the dentary groove, with only 6 reversals in basal theropod clades. Theropods with beaks or edentulous jaws all lacked a dentary groove. Tyrannosauroidea is marked by mosaic distribution of this character. Among tyrannosauroids, the dentary groove occurs only in Dryptosaurus and the Albertosaurinae (Albertosaurus + Gorgosaurus). Nanotyrannus lancensis, sometimes described as representing juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, also possesses this groove, unlike the remainder of the Tyrannosaurinae. Nanotyrannus lancensis was included in a phylogenetic analysis of Tyrannosauroidea and was recovered within Albertosaurinae. We recommend that Nanotyrannus stand as a valid taxon nested within the Albertosaurinae, based on the presence of this groove, as well as other features of the skull.     

Structure and tectonics along the inner edge of a foreland basin: The Hunter Coalfield in the northern Sydney Basin,New South Wales

From the early Late Permian onwards, the northeastern part of the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, (encompassing the Hunter Coalfield) developed as a foreland basin to the rising New England Orogen lying to the east and northeast. Structurally, Permian rocks in the Hunter Coalfield lie in the frontal part of a foreland fold‐thrust belt that propagated westwards from the adjacent New England Orogen. Thrust faults and folds are common in the inner part of the Sydney Basin. Small‐scale thrusts are restricted to individual stratigraphic units (with a major ‘upper decollement horizon’ occurring in the mechanically weak Mulbring Siltstone), but major thrusts are inferred to sole into a floor thrust at a poorly constrained depth of approximately 3 km. Folds appear to have formed mainly as hangingwall anticlines above these splaying thrust faults. Other folds formed as flat‐topped anticlines developed above ramps in that floor thrust, as intervening synclines ahead of such ramp anticlines, or as decollement folds. These contractional structures were overprinted by extensional faults developed during compressional deformation or afterwards during post‐thrusting relaxation and/or subsequent extension. The southern part of the Hunter Coalfield (and the Newcastle Coalfield to the east) occupies a structural recess in the western margin of the New England Orogen and its offshore continuation, the Currarong Orogen. Rocks in this recess underwent a two‐stage deformation history. West‐northwest‐trending stage one structures such as the southern part of the Hunter Thrust and the Hunter River Transverse Zone (a reactivated syndepositional transfer fault) developed in response to maximum regional compression from the east‐northeast. These were followed by stage two folds and thrusts oriented north‐south and developed from maximum compression oriented east‐west. The Hunter Thrust itself was folded by these later folds, and the Hunter River Transverse Zone underwent strike‐slip reactivation.     

A juvenile Edmontosaurus from the late Maastrichtian (Cretaceous) of North America: Implications for ontogeny and phylogenetic inference in saurolophine dinosaurs

The anatomy of an articulated juvenile specimen of the saurolophine hadrosaurid dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens, LACM 23504, is described in detail. This individual consists of a partial skull and nearly complete articulated postcranium, collected from upper Maastrichtian strata of the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, USA. This study aims to help understand the ontogenetic morphological changes occurring in the cranium and postcranium of saurolophine hadrosaurids using E. annectens as a case study. Emphasis is placed on those morphological attributes that are ontogenetically variable via comparative osteology between the juvenile and the available adult specimens. It is observed that much of the cranial ontogenetic variation relates to the elongation of the skull and mandible. In the postcranium, most of the ontogenetic variation concentrates in the pectoral and pelvic girdles and the stylopodia. Not all the identified patterns of ontogenetic variation may be generalized to all hadrosaurids. The impact of ontogenetic variation on phylogenetically informative characters of saurolophine hadrosaurids is evaluated. It is concluded that, at least for Edmontosaurus annectens (and perhaps other saurolophine hadrosaurids), most characters used in phylogenetic inference of these animals are not affected by ontogeny. Thus, juvenile specimens are still a source of substantial character data suitable for use in phylogenetic analyses of saurolophine relationships. Nevertheless, it is recommended that ontogenetically variable characters are left as missing data in a character–taxon matrix when only juvenile material is available for a given saurolophine taxon. Scoring those characters based solely on juveniles is likely to decrease the accuracy of the phylogenetic inference.     

The structure and transformation of the nanomineral schwertmannite: a synthetic analog representative of field samples

The phase transformation of schwertmannite, an iron oxyhydroxide sulfate nanomineral synthesized at room temperature and at 75 °C using H₂O₂ to drive the precipitation of schwertmannite from ferrous sulfate (Regenspurg et al. in Geochim Cosmochim Acta 68:1185–1197, 2004), was studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results of this study suggest that schwertmannite synthesized using this method should not be described as a single phase with a repeating unit cell, but as a polyphasic nanomineral with crystalline areas spanning less than a few nanometers in diameter, within a characteristic ‘pin-cushion’-like amorphous matrix. The difference in synthesis temperature affected the density of the needles on the schwertmannite surface. The needles on the higher-temperature schwertmannite displayed a dendritic morphology, whereas the needles on the room-temperature schwertmannite were more closely packed. Visible lattice fringes in the schwertmannite samples are consistent with the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern taken on the bulk schwertmannite and also matched d-spacings for goethite, indicating a close structural relationship between schwertmannite and goethite. The incomplete transformation from schwertmannite to goethite over 24 h at 75 °C was tracked using XRD and TEM. TEM images suggest that the sample collected after 24 h consists of aggregates of goethite nanocrystals. Comparing the synthetic schwertmannite in this study to a study on schwertmannite produced at 85 °C, which used ferric sulfate, reveals that synthesis conditions can result in significant differences in needle crystal structure. The bulk powder XRD patterns for the schwertmannite produced using these two samples were indistinguishable from one another. Future studies using synthetic schwertmannite should account for these differences when determining schwertmannite’s structure, reactivity, and capacity to take up elements like arsenic. The schwertmannite synthesized by the Regenspurg et al. method produces a mineral that is consistent with the structure and morphology of natural schwertmannite observed in our previous study using XRD and TEM, making this an ideal synthetic method for laboratory-based mineralogical and geochemical studies that intend to be environmentally relevant.     

The seismological picture of the inner core: structure and rotation

This paper presents a review of recent results concerning the structure and the rotation of the inner core, as inferred from seismological observations. We first focus on the apparent hemispherical pattern of the inner core structure, observed in both the anisotropy and the heterogeneity of the uppermost layers, whereas isotropic velocities seem to be homogeneous in a broad wavelength domain. Then we present results on the radial variations of the attenuation and its possible anisotropy, for which viscoelasticity and wave scattering provide complementary explanations. Linked to these results is a discussion about the detection of the PKJKP phase, which propagates as S-wave inside the inner core. Finally, the seismological observations of a possible inner core rotation are discussed; recent results seem to favour rotation rates below 0.2° yr^?1.     

Consolidation and Break-up of the South American Platform in Southeastern Brazil: Tectonothermal and Denudation Histories

The different tectonic stages that occurred at the end of the Proterozoic and during the Phanerozoic have an important bearing on the tectonothermal history of the South American Platform and its consolidation. Geochronological data (U/Pb monazite, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar whole rock) and apatite fission-track analysis, from Precambrian rocks of the southeastern Brazilian coastline, permit the modeling of a long-term thermal history of the crust and constrain variable denudation rates.Using these data, a temperature-time diagram reflects a period of accelerated exhumation during the end of the Brasiliano Orogeny, followed by long stability and reactivation of the platform during the Rifting Phase of the South Atlantic Ocean.U/Pb zircon and monazite (blocking temperature of ca. 650° C) data from a series of igneous bodies suggest that a tangential and transpressional tectonic regime occurred between 625 and 610 Ma. During the following escape tectonics, between 610 and 590 Ma the exhumation process indicates cooling rates of ca. 12°C/Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite ages between 540 and 510 Ma (ca. 300°C) and a corrected fission-track age on apatites (100°C) of 480 Ma indicate an exhumation event related to block tectonics with huge vertical displacement along shear zones.A long stabilization phase, with low exhumation, and cooling rate around 0.25°C/Ma was recorded from the Cambro/Ordovician to the Mesozoic. At 65 Ma an acceleration of the exhumation through denudation and reworking of the South American surface with cooling rate of 1.5°C/Ma is observed.The uplift of the Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar mountain ranges along the southeast Brazilian coastline works as a climatic barrier provoking lateral erosional processes causing long-term scarp retreat, combined with intense, but progressive denudation towards the continent. A denudation of 2.5 to 4 km was calculated for such processes. This lateral retreat of escarpments and flexural response can provide important insights regarding marginal isostatic uplift and the evolution of offshore sedimentary basins of southeast Brazil.     

南海北部珊瑚高分辨率硼同位素组成及其对珊瑚礁海水pH变化的指示意义

造礁珊瑚是研究热带海洋高分辨率气候环境演变的重要载体。对采自海南岛南部三亚湾的活体滨珊瑚SY10进行了约为月分辨率的碳、氧、硼同位素组成分析,并利用珊瑚δ11B重建了海水pH。结果显示,所测量样品的δ13C变化范围为–3.32‰~–1.76‰,δ18O为–6.13‰~–4.78‰,δ11B为23.51‰~26.23‰,且这些珊瑚样品的碳、氧、硼同位素组成均存在明显的季节性周期波动。其中pH与δ18O之间存在明显的正相关关系,高的pH值更倾向于在低温的季节出现,这意味着短时间尺度该处珊瑚礁海水pH可能主要不是受海水CO2溶解度控制,而是与生物活动有密切的关系。利用SY10珊瑚样品硼同位素组成重建的海水pH值变化范围为7.77~8.37,并呈季节性周期波动,这种大幅度的周期波动与我们对三亚珊瑚礁海水pH进行现场观测所得到的结果以及前人的研究成果相符,说明了利用珊瑚δ11B重建海水pH记录是可靠的。     

The African Renaissance and its relation to the geosciences: a South African perspective

Implicit in the African Renaissance is the synergy between government, the private sector, the educated minority and the disadvantaged majority. For this concept to work, belief and commitment must arise first from the African individual, whatever his or her potential contribution may be. The geosciences in South Africa provide a currently vibrant example of such cooperation, which has the potential to contribute significantly to the upliftment of the country and its neighbouring states. Based largely on personal interviews with various role players, from the Presidency of South Africa, through ministerial levels, the corporate sector and down to the individual, we present a spectrum of viewpoints and initiatives which are starting to result in practical implementation of the African revival. An end to conflict and xenophobia, the entrenchment of democratic government and corporate expression of the entrepreneurial spirit are essential to provide the framework within which the individual African can become a “Renaissance Man or Woman”.     

The alluvial architecture of a suspended sediment dominated meandering river: the Río Bermejo,Argentina

The alluvial architecture of fine‐grained (silt‐bed) meandering rivers remains poorly understood in comparison to the extensive study given to sand‐bed and gravel‐bed channels. This paucity of knowledge stems, in part, from the difficulty of studying such modern rivers and deriving analogue information from which to inform facies models for ancient sediments. This paper employs a new technique, the parametric echosounder, to quantify the subsurface structure of the Río Bermejo, Argentina, which is a predominantly silt‐bed river with a large suspended sediment load. These results show that the parametric echosounder can provide high‐resolution (decimetre) subsurface imaging from fine‐grained rivers that is equivalent to the more commonly used ground‐penetrating radar that has been shown to work well in coarser‐grained rivers. Analysis of the data reveals that the alluvial architecture of the Río Bermejo is characterized by large‐scale inclined heterolithic stratification generated by point‐bar evolution, and associated large‐scale scour surfaces that result from channel migration. The small‐scale and medium‐scale structure of the sedimentary architecture is generated by vertical accretion deposits, bed sets associated with small bars, dunes and climbing ripples and the cut and fill from small cross‐bar channels. This style of alluvial architecture is very different from other modern fine‐grained rivers reported in the literature that emphasize the presence of oblique accretion. The Río Bermejo differs from these other rivers because it is much more active, with very high rates of bank erosion and channel migration. Modern examples of this type of highly active fine‐grained river have been reported rarely in the literature, although ancient examples are more prevalent and show similarities with the alluvial architecture of the Río Bermejo, which thus represents a useful analogue for their identification and interpretation. Although the full spectrum of the sedimentology of fine‐grained rivers has yet to be revealed, meandering rivers dominated by lateral or oblique accretion probably represent end members of such channels, with the specific style of sedimentation being controlled by grain size and sediment load characteristics.     

Age and kinematics of ductile deformation in the Cerro Durazno area, NW Argentina: Significance for orogenic processes operating at the western margin of Gondwana during Ordovician – Silurian times

The Cerro Durazno Pluton belongs to a suite of Paleozoic granitoid intrusions in NW-Argentina, that are central for understanding the tectonic setting of the western margin of Gondwana in Ordovician and Silurian times. The pluton and its host rocks were tectonically overprinted by metamorphic mineral shape fabrics formed under middle greenschist-facies metamorphic conditions and associated with the nearby Agua Rosada Shear Zone. Kinematic analysis of the shear zone based on the geometric relationship between individual segments of the shear plane and principal axes of mineral fabric ellipsoids indicates reverse-sense of shear with a minor component of left-lateral displacement. This is compatible with the kinematics of other ductile deformation zones in this area, collectively forming a network, which accomplished orogen-parallel extension in addition to vertical thickening. Using the Rb–Sr isotopic system, an undeformed pegmatite dike of the Cerro Durazno Pluton was dated at 455.8 ± 3.6 Ma and mineral fabrics of the Agua Rosada Shear Zone formed at middle greenschist-facies metamorphism gave deformation ages of 437.0 ± 3.8 Ma and 428.4 ± 4.5 Ma. Thus, tectonic overprint at low metamorphic grade occurred about 20–30 Ma after terminal magmatism in the Cerro Durazno area. Our data from the Cerro Durazno area and regional considerations suggest that the western margin of Gondwana was characterized by orogen-parallel extension in addition to crustal thickening as well as episodes of magmatism and ductile deformation that varied greatly in time and space.     

Changing lake dynamics and sequence stratigraphy of synrift lacustrine strata in a half-graben: an example from the Triassic Ischigualasto–Villa Unión Basin, Argentina

Well‐exposed Triassic rift strata from the Ischigualasto–Villa Unión Basin (NW Argentina) include a 80 to ca 515 m thick lacustrine‐dominated package that can be correlated across a half‐graben using key stratigraphic surfaces (sequence boundaries, lacustrine flooding surfaces and forced regressive surfaces). The characteristics of the synrift lacustrine fill in different parts of the half‐graben have been examined and the mechanisms controlling sedimentation inferred. A variety of sedimentary environments are recognized including; volcaniclastic floodplain, mildly saline lake and playa lake, offshore lacustrine, delta front to fluvial‐dominated and wave‐dominated deltas, distributary and fluvial channel, and interdistributary bay. The succession can be divided into four stratigraphic sequences (SS1 to SS4), the oldest of which (SS1) contains volcaniclastic, fluvial and saline lake deposits; it is thickest close to the western border fault zone, reflecting more rapid subsidence here. Accommodation exceeded sediment and water input during SS1. The second and third sequences (SS2 and SS3) mark the onset of widespread lacustrine sedimentation, reflecting a balance between accommodation creation and water and sediment fluxes. Sequences SS2 and SS3 are represented by offshore meromictic lacustrine and deltaic deposits, the latter mostly sourced from the flexural and southern axial margins of the half‐graben. The presence of stacked parasequences bound by lacustrine flooding surfaces is related to climatically induced lake‐level fluctuations superimposed on variable rates of subsidence on the controlling rift border fault zone. The youngest sequence (SS4) is represented by the deposits of littoral lacustrine and shallow shelf deltas distinguished by a change in lithofacies, palaeocurrents and sandstone composition, suggesting a switch in sediment supply to the footwall margin to the NW. The change in the sediment source is related to reduced footwall uplift, the possible presence of a relay ramp and/or supply from a captured antecedent drainage network. During SS4, the rate of creation of accommodation was exceeded by the sediment and water discharge. The stratigraphic evolution of lacustrine strata in the half‐graben was mainly controlled by tectonic processes, including subsidence rate and the growth and evolution of the border fault zone, but changing climate (inducing changes in water balance and lake level) and autocyclic processes (delta lobe switching) were also important.     

The creative reconstruction of the Internet: Google and the privatization of cyberspace and DigiPlace

The Internet has often been portrayed as the ultimate leveler of information where existing hierarchies of power and privilege are undermined by meritocracy. Some websites and functions are, however, more equal than others. In particular, search engines such as Google have been a key means to construct meaning out of disorder. This ordering (or enclosing of the Internet commons), however, comes at a cost as a location within the top 10 Google search results, marks the boundary (albeit a fluid one) between the core and the periphery of the Internet. The recent incorporation of spatial elements into the Google indexing raises fresh and geographically relevant concerns. This article focuses on the construction, access and use of Google derived rankings to deploy geo-referenced information in the physical environment and the way this melding of code and place affects how people interact with place. Using the theoretical concept of DigiPlace this article analyzes how Google Maps and Google Earth are structured and shape what appears (and what does not) in cyberspace and DigiPlace. Of particular concern are the implications of a private corporation controlling this new space.     

Seasonal controls on sediment transport and deposition in Lake Ohau,South Island,New Zealand: Implications for a high‐resolution Holocene palaeoclimate reconstruction

Laminated sediments in Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand, offer a potential high‐resolution climate record for the past 17 kyr. Such records are particularly important due to the relative paucity of detailed palaeoclimate data from the Southern Hemisphere mid‐latitudes. This paper presents outcomes of a study of the sedimentation processes of this temperate lake setting. Hydrometeorological, limnological and sedimentological data were collected over a 14 month period between 2011 and 2013. These data indicate that seasonality in the hydrometeorological system in combination with internal lake dynamics drives a distinct seasonal pattern of sediment dispersal and deposition on a basin‐wide scale. Sedimentary layers that accumulate proximal to the lake inflow at the northern end of the lake form in response to discrete inflow events throughout the year and display an event stratigraphy. In contrast, seasonal change in the lake system controls accumulation of light (winter) and dark (summer) laminations at the distal end of the lake, resulting in the preservation of varves. This study documents the key processes influencing sediment deposition throughout Lake Ohau and provides fundamental data for generating a high‐resolution palaeoclimate record from this temperate lake.     

The arenig in South Wales: Sedimentary and volcanic processes during the initiation of a marginal basin

Marine clastic sediments and volcanics of Arenig (Ordovician) age crop out in South Wales. These were deposited after presumed late Tremadoc erosion and subsequent arc volcanicity. Arenig sedimentation was transgressive, and followed significant erosion of the arc volcanics. Arenig conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones were deposited in deltaic and turbiditic systems. Storm and tidal processes influenced the shallow marine deposits. The minor rhyolitic volcanics extruded during the Arenig reflect the development of Ordovician marginal basin-type volcanics across Wales. Five sandstone petrofacies are defined and reflect differing proportions of these volcanics and of Cambrian and Precambrian basement material. Sedimentation patterns were controlled by intra-Arenig tectonism during an overall rise in sea level. Facies and petrofacies were ponded in small, interconnected, marine sub-basins. Earliest Arenig tectonism and sedimentation, also recognized in North Wales, reflects the initiation of a marginal basin in Wales.     

Sea navigation, challenges and potentials in South East Asia: an assessment of suitable sites for a shipping canal in the South Thai Isthmus

This paper discusses the situation of sea navigation in south East Asia focusing on the Strait of Malacca. The strait links the Indian and Pacific oceans, which is considered one of the busiest in several narrow channels around the world. The paper highlights the significance of the strait to global maritime trade, volume of traffic, and rising environmental and social consequences in the strait. A feasibility study of constructing a new shipping canal in the South Thai Kra Isthmus as an alternative option of Malacca route had been studied since 19th century. The paper explores suitable sites for a potential shipping canal in the Kra Isthmus using physiographic spatial data i.e., elevation, sea charts, geology, soils and river systems. Each spatial data was considered as a separate decision variable for site evaluation. Separate evaluation criterions were prepared for each variable based on shipping canal requirements. Overlaying the maps in GIS environment, the variables were carefully evaluated, and five geographic sites for the canal were derived. The length of the shipping canal over sea and land was computed for each site. Site B located in south of Ranong and Chumphon provinces, was the shortest one, whereas site C in Surat Thani, Pangnna and Krabi provinces was the longest. However, each site consisted of benefits and constraints.     

The partitioning of Pt-Re-Os between solid and liquid metal in the Fe-Ni-S system at high pressure: Implications for inner core fractionation

Coupled ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os enrichments of plume-derived lavas have been suggested to reflect contributions of materials from the outer core (Brandon et al., 1998). This hypothesis is based on the assumption that the Earth’s liquid outer core has high Pt/Os and slightly high Re/Os ratios as a result of the crystallization of the solid inner core, and shows coupled enrichments in the ¹⁸⁶Os/¹⁸⁸Os and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, reflecting the decay of ¹⁹⁰Pt and ¹⁸⁷Re to ¹⁸⁶Os and ¹⁸⁷Os, respectively. Partitioning experiments of Pt-Re-Os between solid and liquid metal were performed at 5-20 GPa and 1250-1400 °C, to examine the effects of pressure in the Fe-Ni-S system. The ratios (D_Os/D_Pt, D_Os/D_Re) of measured partition coefficients of Pt, Re and Os are almost constant with increasing pressure. D_Os/D_Pt increases significantly, whereas D_Os/D_Re decreases, with increasing sulphur content in the liquid metal. On the basis of the present experimental results, it is unlikely that the required Pt-Re-Os fractionation is generated during inner core crystallization, assuming that the light element in the Earth’s core is sulphur.     

The Carbon and Oxygen Isotopic Compositions:Implications for the Sources and Types of Uranium Deposits in South China

Uranium ore is an essential material in the preparation of nuclear fuel for civilian and military uses.Uranium deposits are also important sources of energy for countries which depend heavily on nuclear power(e.g.France).They     

Looking for the future in the rubble of Palmyra: Destruction,reconstruction and identity

The destruction of the ancient ruins of Palmyra by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) in September 2015 shocked the world, with some going so far as to decry it as a war crime. This paper explores why the razing of Palmyra resonated so strongly with the international community, demonstrating how the relationship between urban space and collective memory made this event so powerful. Looking to the future, it suggests that the toughest test for Palmyra is yet to come. The challenge of post-conflict reconstruction in sites such as this is inextricably bound up with questions of identity, memory and power, all of which will need to be worked out when the war in Syria eventually comes to an end.