The subaerial origin of mantle depositsZur subaerischen entstehung der decksedimenteL'origine subaérienne des formations de couverture

The authors deal with the problems of the origin of mantle formations consisting of loams and sandy loams that occur on the surface of Central and Eastern Europe. The loams are usually considered periglacial deposits; however, the authors have developed a new theory on the origin of these formations. In their opinion loams developed as a result of deposition of atmospheric dust. The new theory is supported by measurements of dust fall mainly on glaciers in the Caucasus and in Central Asia. The measurements correspond favorably with the absolute age of humus in the soils of the Russkaya ravnina (Lowland). Recently, dust fall has increased owing to activities by man. The increase disturbs the equilibrium in the subaerial lithogenesis — soil development system and therefore more attention should be given to this phenomenon.     

Oxygen isotope and deuterium indication of the origin and <Superscript>14</Superscript>C age of the massive ice,Bovanenkovo, Central Yamal peninsula

The conditions and forming time of massive ice were specified (Bovanenkovo gas condensate field, Central Yamal). Here, massive ice lies as stratums, laccoliths, stocks, and lenses. Three thousand boreholes 10–100 m in depth were analyzed. In 260 of them massive ice was broached. The ice foot is situated from 1 to 57 m deep. The maximal thickness of ice broached with boreholes came to 28.5 m; on average, it was about 8 m. The extension of massive ice is sometimes more than 2000 m, and its area is quite often more than 10 km². According to the radiocarbon method, loams of the third terrace, containing and overlapping ice deposits, were formed from 25 000 to 20 000 years ago or somewhat later. These strongly peat loams containing massive ice formed either in shallow sea conditions or during periodical draining conditions of beaches or low laida, where organic matter appeared due to erosion and deposition and accumulated during draining and overgrowing of drains. In more inclement conditions than at present, loam deposits were frozen immediately, forming massive ice, which occupied the barely water-saturated layers. The oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of massive ice samples varied from −12.49‰ (here and further, relative to SMOW) to −22.95‰. The deuterium concentration (δD) varied from −91.7 to −177.1‰. Deuterium kurtosis (d _exc) varied from 3.4 to 10.6‰. In one seam outcrop, the content of stable isotopes varied significantly. Here, at a depth of 0.2–0.8 m, the δ¹⁸O content varied by more than 10‰ (from −12.49 to −22.75), and the δD content, from −91.7 to −171.9‰. Such variations testify about ice extraction upon freezing of water-saturated grounds in a closed system. According to palynological analysis of ice stratums, numerous remains of unicellular green algae and diatoms were revealed. It is possible that this is evidence of the existence of a fresh well, which was a source of water, feeding the layer. Most probably these were near-bottom silt waters of a large lake or desalted bay, which were frozen syngenetically. This accentuates the new type of massive ice, syncriogenic segregative ice, which probably formed 25 000–20 000 yr BP.     

"Brown Ore" from the Fukasawa Kuroko Deposits, Northeast Japan: Its Characteristics and Formation Process

Abstract: Brown–colored sulfide ore (brown ore) occurs in the easternmost part of the Tsunokakezawa No. 1 orebody of the Fukasawa kuroko-type deposits, northern Honshu, Japan. As this type of ores also occur in the marginal or uppermost part of several other kuroko deposits in Japan, the formation of brown ore appears to be repeated in the process of kuroko formation. The brown ore is characterized by its higher Ag concentration (up to around 2000 g/t) than ordinary black ore (Zn–Pb ore) of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. The brown ore from the Fukasawa deposits can be divided into following three ore types based on its texture and mineral composition: pyritic brown ore, principal brown ore and “diseased” brown ore. Primary precipitation textures such as framboidal– and colloform-textures and compositional zoning within sulfide grains are significant in the brown ores. This seems to be due to lack of overprinting high temperature mineralization resulting in preservation of primary features. The Ag-Au mineralization is widely observed within the brown ores. Silver and gold are especially concentrated in the barite veinlets in the principal brown ore, which are supposed to be fillings of conduit of hydrothermal solution precipitated in the latest stage of hydrothermal activity. This mineralization seems to occur at waning stage of brown ore formation by ore solution at a lower temperature (around 250°C) than that of main part of brown ore (around 270°C). Relatively low fluid temperature and contribution of oxic ambient seawater may be responsible for the development of the Ag-Au mineralization in the brown ore. The occurrence of framboidal-rich pyritic brown ore having negative δ³⁴S values (less than –10%) and filamentous texture of sphalerite, seeming remnant of bacteria, indicate the presence of intensive microbial activity in the hydrothermal area for brown ore formation. Formation environment of each ore type of the brown ore is supposed to be as follows: Pyritic brown ore is likely to have formed on the sea-floor around redox boundary at temperature (around 240°C) lower than ordinary black ore. Principal brown ore seems to have been formed beneath the shell of the pyritic brown ore at temperature around 270°C. Footwall of the brown ore is disseminated tuff breccia corresponding to feeder zone of hydrothermal fluid. Overprinting chalcopyrite mineralization is not observed in the brown ore except in limited part of “diseased” ore, which occurs just above the disseminated tuff breccia. Based on the features distinct from the ordinary black ore, the brown ore can be regarded as a product in the marginal part of submarine hydrothermal system, where temperature and flow rate of hydrothermal solution was relatively low and microbial activity was intensive. The brown ore seems to well preserve its primary features after its deposition and might show the initial feature of some part of the ordinary stratiform black ore.     

Stable isotope indicators of movement and residency for brown shrimp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Farfantepenaeus aztecus</Emphasis>) in coastal Louisiana marshscapes

Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) are an important commercial aquatic species experiencing loss of inshore marsh nursery habitat in coastal Louisiana. To study inshore brown shrimp movements and identify aspects of essential habitat important for sustaining brown shrimp populations, we collected juvenile brown shrimp in April and May 2000, the time of annual maximum brown shrimp abundance, in a small 1-km² marsh area on the central Louisiana coast. Drop sampling showed average shrimp densities of 1.6–2.4 m⁻² in shallow marsh ponds and seining indicated lower densities of 0.5–0.9 m⁻² in nearby shallow channel and open bay sites. Smaller shrimp (< 50 mm) fed disproportionately on benthic diatoms and small harpacticoid copepods, while large shrimp fed more frequently on larger-bodied amphipods and tanaids. We developed novel chemical approaches to estimate patterns of shrimp residency and movement using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic determinations. Resident shrimp had isotopic values similar to average foods and showed consistent isotopic spacings between fast and slow turnover tissues. Residency was highest (47–55%) in ponds and shallow channel habitats and much less in open bays and deep channels (4–27%). There was sparse evidence for dietary specialization among individull shrimp. The results support the view that small 10–20 mm postlarval and juvenile brown shrimp arriving in estuaries from offshore waters continue movement through sub-optimal habitats (deep channels and open bays), but exhibit much less movement once an optimal habitat (marsh ponds or shallow channel margins) is reached. This study also indicated that combining estimates of shrimp densities, residency, growth rate, and mortality allows evaluation of the importance of different habitat types for shrimp production. Shallow ponds that in many ways resemble fertile aquaculture ponds appear to be hot spots for brown shrimp production, and coastal preservation and restoration efforts should focus on these areas as important for sustaining shrimp fisheries.     

The origin of very flinty dry-valley deposits in the Marlow area,Buckinghamshire, England

Some of the soils on the floors of dry chalkland valleys north of the River Thames in the Marlow area have surface horizons of moderately to very flinty, weakly or non-calcareous, poorly sorted loams, which were deposited in the late Holocene. These overlie typical chalkland gelifluction and periglacial fluvial deposits. Fine calcareous colluvial loams also occur but are less common than in valleys elsewhere on the English chalk. Particle size and mineralogical analyses suggest that the loamy matrix of the flinty surface horizons was derived from loess and early Tnames terrace deposits or Clay-with-flints occurring on interfluves between the dry-valleys. On the evidence of their poorly sorted nature, lack of carbonate, abundance of large flints and irregularly ridged surfaces, it is suggested that they originated mainly as valley-side debris flows.     

Isotope composition of a lithalsa in the Sentsa River valley (East Sayan Mountains)

The ice-rich core formation within the core of the lithalsa in the Sentsa River valley (West Buryatia) was studied. The concentrations of stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in the ice were determined, the plant residues in the enclosing deposits were aged. It was found that the lacustrine loams enclosing the ice body were accumulated about 4700–7000 years ago. The ice core of the lithalsa was characterized by δD values from 141.9 to–159.8‰, δ¹⁸O from–19.52 to–21‰, and d _exc within 4.1–17.29‰. Small variations in the isotope composition of the ice–soil material within the lithalsa core point to its formation in an open system with water inflow from outside. The values of δ¹⁸O and δD were much closer to those for recent middle-winter and late-autumn atmospheric precipitation, as well as for riverine water, which pointed to a Holocene age of the ice.     

Pollution caused by metallic fragments introduced into soils because of World War I activities

 The influence of parent rock and soil material on the corrosion rate of metallic fragments that remained in soil after World War I in the Soča front area (Slovenia), as well as the corrosion products of these fragments, were studied. The results of corrosion tests did not indicate appreciable differences in corrosion rates between various corrosion media. Consequently, the corrosion rates are influenced mostly by soil aeration, soil humidity and also by microstructures of alloys. Soil type seems to have the most influence on corrosion products. For the pH and Eh ranges that prevail in the studied soils, goethite is the only stable iron mineral. Lead minerals are not stable, and lead, in a Pb²⁺ cation form, is probably adsorbed onto some minerals – especially goethite – or is bound with organic matter. In distric brown soil, lead stays in the cation form as Pb²⁺ because of high soil acidity. Cuprite is stable in rendzina and brown soil on limestone, whereas in distric brown soil copper stays in solution as Cu²⁺. Received: 7 October 1999 · Accepted: 8 March 2000     

Late-Quaternary biogeographic scenarios for the brown bear (Ursus arctos), a wild mammal model species

This review provides an up-to-date synthesis of the matrilineal phylogeography of a uniquely well-studied Holarctic mammal, the brown bear. We extend current knowledge by presenting a DNA sequence derived from one of the earliest known fossils of a polar bear (dated to 115 000 years before present), a species that shares a paraphyletic mitochondrial association with brown bears. A molecular clock analysis of 140 mitochondrial DNA sequences, including our new polar bear sequence, provides novel insights into the times of origin for different brown bear clades. We propose a number of regional biogeographic scenarios based on genetic data, divergence time estimates and paleontological records. The case of the brown bear provides an example for researchers working with less well-studied taxa: it shows clearly that phylogeographic models based on patterns of modern genetic variation alone can be substantially improved by including data on historical patterns of genetic diversity in the form of ancient DNA sequences derived from accurately dated samples and by using an approach to divergence-time estimation that suits the data under analysis. Using such approaches it has been possible to (i) establish that the processes shaping modern genetic diversity in brown bears acted recently, within the last three glacial cycles; (ii) distinguish among hypotheses concerning species’ responses to climatic oscillations in accordance with the lack of phylogeographic structure that existed in brown bears prior to the last glacial maximum (LGM); (iii) reassess theories linking monophyletic brown bear populations to particular LGM refuge areas; and (iv) identify vicariance events and track analogous patterns of migration by brown bears out of Eurasia to North America and Japan.     

Palynological characterization of the Paleocene Wuyun formation, People’s Republic of China

The Wuyun deposit of brown coal is situated on the right bank of the Amur River in the People’s Republic of China, 35–60 km away from the Arkhara-Boguchan brown coal deposit. The Belaya Gora stratotype of the latter and the southwestern flanks of the Raichikhinsk brown coal field (Russia) have been studied previously when the author analyzed in detail the Danian and Selandian-Thanetian palynoassemblages from the Upper Tsagayan Subformation. A section of the Wuyun Formation was studied at the eponymous deposit in 2002 and 2004. Based on new palynological results and analysis of data from earlier publications, two palynoassemblages distinguished there in the Paleocene coal-bearing succession enable correlation between sections of relevant deposits on the right and left banks of the Amur River. Data on the taxonomic composition of palynoassemblages are considered, and their basic and characteristic taxa are figured in paleontological plates.     

Tourmaline in Proterozoic Massive Sulfide Deposits from Rajasthan, India

We have analyzed the chemical composition and boron isotope composition of tourmaline from tourmalinites, granite and a quartz-tourmaline vein from the Deri ore zone and from a pegmatitic band in the Rampura-Agucha ore body. These two Proterozoic massive sulfide deposits occur in the Aravalli-Delhi orogenic belt, Rajasthan, northwest India. Tourmaline from stratiform tourmalinites closely associated with the massive sulfides in the Deri deposit have preserved their original chemical compositions despite regional and thermal metamorphism in the area. These tourmalines have low Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios (0.19–0.30; mean 0.26) that suggest formation close to the sediment-sea water interface. The δ¹¹B values (−15.5 and −16.4‰) are compatible with boron derived from leaching of argillaceous sediments and/or felsic volcanics underlying the original massive sulfide deposit during its formation. Boron isotope compositions measured in tourmaline from a post-ore granite and quartz-tourmaline vein in the Deri deposit indicate that boron in these tourmalines was derived from the tourmalinites produced during ore formation. The boron isotope systematics of a coarse brown tourmaline crystal from a pegmatitic band on the hanging wall contact of the Rampura-Agucha deposit indicate that 45 ± 25% of the boron within the original tourmaline was lost during upper amphibolite facies regional metamorphism. Received: 3 April 1996 / Accepted: 11 April 1996     

Paleoenvironment and stratigraphy during the last glacial in the Belgian-Dutch border region

The Weichselian deposits of the flat Dutch-Belgian coversand area are characterized by highly varying facies types. The geomorphological location and the role of water during the deposition and the transportation of the original eolian sediments may fully explain the texture and sedimentary structures of the lithostratigraphic units. Directly deposited eolian loams and sands on the dry interfluves contrast with the same, but reworked, sediments in wet valleys and depressions. The formation of periglacial phenomena is also dependent on the geomorphologic, lithologic, and hydrologic conditions. The occurrence of peaty beds is restricted to wet environments without precise climatic significance. The Pleniglacial sequence is subdivided into early and late Pleniglacial stades, both characterized by (partial) permafrost conditions, interrupted by a middle Pleniglacial interstadial complex with clearly milder conditions.     

Sr isotope systematics during melt generation by intrusion of basalt into continental crust

We have studied the Sr isotopic composition of partial melts of biotite granite generated experimentally and by intrusion of basalt into the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The experiments employed large, 3-cm cubes of granite to duplicate natural grain-boundary textures and were performed in air over the temperature interval 1000–1250 °C, to simulate basalt-induced wall rock and xenolith melting in the shallow crust. In both the experimental and natural analogs, fusion of plagioclase + alkali-feldspar ± quartz and biotite + plagioclase ± quartz results in the formation of colorless and brown melt (quenched to glass) respectively. Accordant with this melting behavior, brown glasses are enriched in radiogenic Sr and MgO, FeO, CaO, and TiO₂ relative to colorless glasses. These results support recent studies indicating that the isotopic compositions of crustal melts can reflect the relative contributions of mineral phases entering the melt, rather than the isotopic composition of the bulk source rock. In addition, we show that at shallow-crustal conditions preferential breakdown of biotite leads to initial high-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low-Sr concentration melts. However, as the degree of melting increases, melts become less radiogenic yet are more enriched in elemental Sr due to loss of biotite from the restite and increased consumption of feldspars. Our results therefore suggest, if partial melts of granitic crust segregate rapidly during episodic magmatic underplating, successive melt batches can evolve from high-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr to low-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr liquids as melting progresses. Received: 25 August 1998 / Accepted: 10 March 1999     

The origin of brown hornblende in the Artfjället gabbro and dolerites

Brown hornblende occurs in minor amounts in the Artfjället gabbro and dolerites, except in quartz-dolerites where a pale green hornblende occurs. In the gabbro, brown hornblende is mostly Ti-bearing pargasite or kaersutite. It occurs along veins of orthopyroxene, as rims around and blebs in pyroxenes, with orthopyroxene in coronas between olivine and plagioclase and in coronas between ilmenite and plagioclase. In the olivine-dolerites and orthopyroxene-dolerites brown hornblende is ferroan titanian pargasite or ferroan kaersutite. The pale green hornblende in the quartz-dolerites is a magnesio-hornblende. The hornblendes in the dolerites are interstitial or granular, in some dolerites occurring as coarse oikocrysts. It is proposed that under certain conditions the Ti content of hornblende can be used as a thermometer, derived from experimental data of Helz (1973). Microstructures, compositions and formation temperatures (< 1,040° C) show that the brown hornblende in the gabbro is not magmatic, but of subsolidus origin. Probably it formed as a result of the introduction of water into the gabbro during a deformation event that occurred early in the cooling history of the gabbro. Least-squares modelling of hornblende formation indicates that all magmatic minerals must have participated in the reaction and that the reaction probably was not isochemical. Microstructures, compositions and formation temperatures (1,030-965° C) of brown hornblende in the dolerites are consistent with late-stage crystallization from the magma. For the pale green hornblende in the quartz-dolerites a magmatic origin is likely, but cannot be proven.     

Integrated Geophysical Works on the Kozlovka Anomaly (Kaluga Region)

This work presents integrated geophysical studies that were carried out to identify the nature of the intense magnetic anomaly detected by the results of land surveying on the right bank of the Slushka River in the territory of the Yukhnovskii district of Kaluga Region. The comprehensive interpretation of the geophysical data and the laboratory measurements of the core made it possible to determine the nature and parameters of the anomaly-forming object that is located in the upper part of the section; it consists of loams that contain such magnetic minerals as greigite, pyrrhotite, and magnetite.     

Mineral zoning and gold occurrence in the Fortuna skarn mine, Nambija district, Ecuador

The Fortuna oxidized gold skarn deposit is located in the northern part of the Nambija gold district, southern Ecuador. It has been subdivided into four mineralized sites, covering a distance of 1 km, which are named from north to south: Cuerpo 3, Mine 1, Mine 2, and Southern Sector. Massive skarn bodies occur in K–Na metasomatized volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Triassic Piuntza unit. They appear to result from selective replacement of volcaniclastic rocks. Very minor presence of bioclast relicts suggests the presence of subordinate limestone. Endoskarn type alteration with development of Na-rich plagioclase, K-feldspar, epidote, actinolite, anhedral pyroxene, and titanite affects a quartz–diorite porphyritic intrusion which crops out below the skarn bodies in Mine 2 and the Southern Sector. Endoskarn alteration in the intrusion grades into a K-feldspar ± biotite ± magnetite assemblage (K-alteration), suggesting that skarn formation is directly related to the quartz–diorite porphyritic intrusion, the latter being probably emplaced between 141 and 146 Ma. The massive skarn bodies were subdivided into a dominant brown garnet skarn, a distal green pyroxene–epidote skarn, and two quartz-rich varieties, a blue-green garnet skarn and light green pyroxene–garnet skarn, which occur as patches and small bodies within the former skarn types. The proximal massive brown garnet skarn zone is centered on two 060° trending faults in Mine 2, where the highest gold grades (5–10 g/t) were observed. It grades into a distal green pyroxene–epidote skarn zone to the North (Cuerpo 3). Granditic garnet shows iron enrichment from the proximal to the distal zone. Diopsidic pyroxene exhibits iron and manganese enrichment from proximal to distal zones. The retrograde stage is weakly developed and consists mainly of mineral phases filling centimeter-wide veins, vugs, and interstices between garnet and pyroxene grains. The main filling mineral is quartz, followed by K-feldspar, epidote, calcite, and chlorite, with minor sericite, apatite, titanite, hematite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and gold. Metal and sulfur contents are low at Fortuna, and the highest gold grades coincide with high hematite abundance, which suggests that retrograde stage and gold deposition took place under oxidizing conditions. Fluid inclusions from pyroxene indicate precipitation from high temperature—high to moderate salinity fluids (400 to 460°C and 54- to 13-wt% eq. NaCl), which result probably from boiling of a moderately saline (∼8-wt% eq. NaCl) magmatic fluid. Later cooler (180 to 475°C) and moderate to low saline fluids (1- to 20-wt% eq. NaCl) were trapped in garnet, epidote, and quartz, and are interpreted to be responsible for gold deposition. Chlorite analysis indicates temperature of formation between 300 and 340°C in accordance with fluid inclusion data. It appears, thus, that gold was transported as chloride complexes under oxidizing conditions and was deposited at temperatures around 300°C when transport of chloride complexes as gold carriers is not efficient.     

Variations in stable carbon isotope ratio of the copepod Acartia tonsa during the onset of the Texas brown tide

The Laguna Madre of South Texas is a shallow coastal lagoon whose dominant primary producers shifted from seagrasses to phytoplankton with the onset of the Texas brown tide, which persisted from 1990 through 1997. Acartia tonsa is the dominant component of the mesozooplankton and forms an important link in both the phytoplankton and detritus-based pelagic food webs. Stable carbon isotope ratios of A. tonsa, as well as the two major primary producers: phytoplankton (as particulate organic carbon) and seagrasses, were measured from March 1989 to October 1991. Zooplankton samples were collected at four locations in the Laguna Madre: two in shallow water (c. 1 m) over seagrass beds and two in slightly deeper water (c. 2–3 m) over a muddy bottom in a secondary bay without seagrasses. We found seasonal trends in the isotopic composition of A. tonsa collected within both habitats as well as distinct differences between the average {ie995-1} values of individuals collected in the two regions. Isotopic ratios of animals collected during the summer months were generally 4–8‰ enriched in ¹³C compared with those collected in the winter, at all stations. A. tonsa collected over seagrass beds were 2–5‰ more enriched in ¹³C than those collected over muddy bottoms. These observations suggest carbon derived from seagrasses can be an important source of nutrition for these copepods in summer, especially for copepods living over seagrass beds. The effects of the persistent brown tide decreased the contribution of seagrasses as a carbon source for A. tonsa during the summer of 1991. The pathway by which seagrass carbon enters the diet of A. tonsa is unclear, but the two pathways considered most likely are through copepods feeding on microzooplankton that have fed on bacteria nourished on seagrass carbon, or by copepods feeding directly on particles of seagrass detritus.     

New evidence of scroll-bar formation on the Beatton River

In recent work, two hypotheses were proposed to explain the formation of distinct scroll bars and subsequent floodplain ridges on the Beatton River. These hypotheses are reassessed here in the light of recent field observations, which suggest that an initial scroll bar may form around a stranded dead tree that acts as a sedimentation nucleus on a point-bar platform.     

Timing of the Yangtze initiation draining the Tibetan Plateau throughout to the East China Sea: a review

The question of the Yangtze’s origins has been extensively researched by geologists and geomorphologists for more than a century, and a widely-accepted answer is still pending. Evidence of river piracy, diversion and incision in the upper river segment from Shigu town in Yunnan Province to Yichang City has been used to reconstruct the history of the Yangtze drainage system, and constrain the timing of the upper Yangtze diversion from south flowing to east, debouching into the East China Sea. There is much diversity in fluvial deposits and landforms even over small spatio-temporal scales in tectonic highly active regions. They are also liable to latter reworking by external forces, making their paleo-geographical interpretation a more complex and controversial matter. Based on evidence from fluvial strata and landforms, various hypotheses have been proposed with considerable discrepancies for the timing of the Jinsha River diversion from the south flowing into the east, and the timing of the upper Yangtze channeling through the Three Gorges area. The Yangtze was controversially assumed to be: (1) a very old river in existence since the Cretaceous and earlier, (2) a very young river that came into being only during the past several hundred thousand years, or (3) any age in between these two extremes. Techniques in microprobe dating of single crystalline grains have greatly improved, and they have been widely and successfully used in provenance studies, drainage evolution reconstruction, and tectonic history restoration through dating detrital zircon/monazite grains from the onshore/offshore deposits. The timing of the Yangtze formation was estimated at ca. 2.58 Ma based on analyses of time-series variation of EMP (electron microprobe) monazite ages in the late Cenozoic strata of the Yangtze delta. By revisiting fluvial deposits and landforms in the upper Yangtze drainage basin, some references also state the initiation time of the Yangtze at between the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. This indicates that microprobe dating of single detrital mineral grains is an effective tool to study sedimentary provenance and reconstruct the evolution history of large rivers, like the Yangtze. Laser ablation-ICPMS, a newly-developed microprobe dating technique characterized by minimal sample preparation, low cost and high throughput, and high precision, makes it possible to date large volumes of single detrital mineral grains for provenance studies. Its application is expected to increase the precision of the timing of the Yangtze formation. __________ Translated from Marine Geology and Quaternary Geology, 2007, 27(2): 121–131 [译自: 海洋地质与第四纪地质]     

Improvement of the Excavation Performance of PCD Drag Tools by Water Jet Assistance

The possibility of increasing the performance of mechanical tools with the assistance provided by a high-velocity water jet has been explored in the last 20 years. The results of past research have often been controversial and found to vary within a wide range, mainly due to the different experimental conditions adopted. Number of hypotheses have been advanced to explain the variability of the results as well as to disclose the mechanism of water jet assistance. In this paper, after a discussion of the main issues regarding the assistance of mechanical excavation with water jet, the results of an experimental work carried out at the University of Cagliari are illustrated and discussed. The research was aimed both at studying the processes by which mechanical excavation is improved and at quantifying the increment of the excavation performance parameters with water jet. In particular, the mechanisms involved in the rock–tool–water jet interaction have been studied with the goal of putting into evidence the contribution of the jet both as a way to weaken the rock and to increase the stress leading to scale formation. Better knowledge achieved will be useful for the development of the technology up to a commercial scale.     

Thickness and stable isotopic characteristics of modern seasonal climate-controlled sub-annual travertine laminas in a travertine-depositing stream at Baishuitai, SW China: implications for paleoclimate reconstruction

A continuous high-resolution (monthly) record of stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) in a well-laminated freshwater travertine deposited at Baishuitai, SW China from May 1998 to November 2001 was presented. The travertine exhibits clear annual bands with coupled brown/white color laminations. Throughout field investigation, it was found that the thin (1.5–2.2 mm), brown porous lamina was formed in the monsoonal rainy season from April to September, whereas the thick (5–8 mm), dense white lamina was formed in the dry season from October to March. The comparisons of lamina thickness and stable isotope signals in the travertine with the meteorological records allow us to constrain the relevant geochemical processes in the travertine formation under different climate conditions and to relate climate variables to their physicochemical proxies in the travertine record. Sympathetic variations in lamina thickness, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O along the sampled profile reflect changes in hydrogeochemistry, showing that thin lamina and low δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values occur in warm and rainy seasons. The decreased amount of calcite precipitation and low δ¹³C values during the warm and rainy seasons is caused by dilution of overland flow after rainfall. The low δ¹⁸O values are believed to be related to the rainfall amount effect in subtropical monsoonal regions. This process is thought to be markedly subdued whenever the amount of rainfall is lower than a given threshold. Accordingly, distinct minima in lamina thickness, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O are interpreted to reflect events with above-average rainfall, possibly heavy floods, and vice versa. This study demonstrates the potential of freshwater travertine to provide valuable information on seasonal or even monthly rainfall variations.