新元古代的"雪球地球"

“雪球地球”假说的提出解释了一些新元古代冰川现象，如低纬度和低海拔冰川沉积、帽碳酸盐岩、负的碳酸盐δ^13C漂移和BIF铁矿等现象。尽管有不同的假说与解释，但“雪球地球”最为流行。“雪球地球”事件被认为起因于地球系统的变化，如Rodinia超大陆的裂解、超级地幔柱的活动及古地磁真极的漂移等。“雪球地球”的极端气候环境变化，促进了生命的演化，造成了寒武纪生物大爆发。     

Major shoreline retreat and sediment starvation following Snowball Earth

While cap dolostones are integral to the Snowball Earth hypothesis, the current depositional model does not account for multiple geological observations. Here we propose a model that rationalises palaeomagnetic, sequence‐stratigraphic and sedimentological data and supports rapid deglaciation with protracted cap dolostone precipitation. The Snowball Earth hypothesis posits that a runaway ice‐albedo can explain the climate paradox of Neoproterozoic glacial deposits occurring at low palaeolatitudes. This scenario invokes volcanic degassing to increase atmospheric greenhouse gases to a critical threshold that overcomes the albedo effect and brings the planet back from the ice‐covered state. Once this occurs, Earth should shift rapidly from a snowball to an extreme greenhouse. However, cap dolostone units overlying glacial sediments, typically interpreted as transgressive deposits, exhibit multiple magnetic reversals indicating they accumulated in >10⁵ years. By reviewing modern post‐glacial systems, sequence stratigraphic concepts and principles of sedimentology, we suggest that cap dolostones are not restricted to the transgression but rather represent sediment starvation following a major landward shoreline migration associated with the demise of Snowball Earth. Thus, the duration in which cap dolostone accumulated is not directly coupled to the timescale of the Snowball Earth deglaciation.     

Models on Snowball Earth and Cambrian explosion: A synopsis

During the late Proterozoic from 1000 to 542 Ma, the Earth is thought to have been frozen at least during two times: in the Sturtian (715–680 Ma) and in the Marinoan (680–635 Ma) global glaciations. Following the Marinoan Snowball Earth, large multi-cellular animals of the Ediacara fauna flourished as a prelude to the Phanerozoic world. Here we summarize the most popular models on the cause and cessation of Snowball Earth. Episodic decrease of greenhouse gas occurs through the effect of erosion and weathering promoted by either mountain building or by an increase in the coastlines during the break-up of supercontinents. Effects on the globe caused by true polar wander, eruption of voluminous flood basalts, or dramatic reduction in planetary obliquity can also lead to ice ages and mass extinction. A radically revised concept based on Earth's magnetic intensity has also been proposed, which explains the true polar wander through a quasi-polar dynamo model. The ‘switch-on’ and ‘switch-off’ of the Earth's strong dynamo can lead to the onset and disappearance of the Snowball Earth. The galactic model infers that gamma ray burst associated with starburst creates huge amounts of clouds which would cut off sun rays and freeze the Earth.The Snowball Earth event is considered to have exerted a significant control on the subsequent revolutionary changes in the evolution of life forms. Although according to the biological clock, extensive re-organisation of genome is thought to have been completed by around 900 Ma, the evolution of modern life in Cambrian occurred only after the geochemical bridge was in place with elevated oxygen and nutrient levels in lakes that developed within continental rifts where the hydrothermal system in the granitic basement created the chemical environment enriched in Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, V, Mo, HCO₃, phosphate and other elements required for building the skeleton and bone of the first modern animals. With cosmic radiation exerting a significant control on the mutation, the Neoproterozoic Earth history illustrates the possible link from Galaxy to the genome level.     

A red algal bloom in the aftermath of the Marinoan Snowball Earth

Organic matter from the cap dolostones overlying the Marinoan‐age glacigenic diamictites of the Araras Group, Amazon craton, has been studied to reconstruct the post‐glacial ecosystem. Molecular fossils indicate that the post‐Marinoan ecosystem was marked by an apparent decline in marine algal diversity. The proliferation of red algae may be explained by environmental changes, such as a massive nutrient input accompanying continental weathering after the ice thaw and a dimer light penetrating sea water due to the drowning of the platform. In addition, the presence of green sulphur bacteria indicates that sea water was stratified with an anoxic (possibly euxinic, i.e. sulphidic) layer at the water–sediment interface. Sulphur cycling probably occurred at the redox boundary as suggested by the recognition of active sulphate reduction. This observation supports a microbially induced model for the formation of the cap dolostones.     

从"全球冰川"到"雪球假说"——关于新元古代冰川事件的最新研究

新元古代冰期地层不同于显生宙冰期地层，近年来，一些学者提出了雪球假说，掀起了关于新元古代冰期环境特征与因演化的研究热潮，成为当前地学前沿的一个热门课题。本轮研究的一个突出特点，是它的高度综合性，涉及岩石圈，水圈，大气圈和生物圈，此外还牵攫到天体运行等学科。研究重点有新元古代冰川作用的低纬和低海拔特征。与Rodinia超大陆裂解的关系，冰室效应和温室效应的矛盾运动，海洋封冻的探索，碳酸盐岩岩帽的成因，碳，硫，锶等同位素的峰谷变化的环境含义，冰期地层中铁矿的成因，新元古代冰期的次数争议，雪球理论的数值模拟和冰期环境特征及其变化与生物演化，特别是与早寒武世生物大辐射的关系等。我国南方已成为研究新元古代冰期地层及其与寒武系生物大辐射关系的重要地区之一。     

新元古代晚期盖帽碳酸盐岩的成因与“雪球地球”的终结机制

新元古代晚期约635 Ma的地球发育了到达赤道附近的冰川作用，地质记录上表现为代表寒冷气候的冰期沉积杂砾岩，直接被代表温暖环境的碳酸盐岩层（常称盖帽碳酸盐岩）覆盖。由于盖帽碳酸盐岩奇特的岩石学和地球化学特征，引起了对其成因认识的巨大争论，提出了“雪球地球”和“甲烷渗漏”等假说。“雪球地球”假设可以解释一些令人困惑的地学现象，如低纬度和低海拔冰川沉积、盖帽碳酸盐岩、碳酸盐δ13C负漂移和条带状铁矿层等，但许多科学家对此提出了质疑。最近对盖帽碳酸盐岩的δ13C分析结果（最低达-41‰）、盖帽碳酸盐岩发育的类似现代冷泉碳酸盐岩沉积组构等似乎支持“甲烷渗漏”假说。     

新元古代“雪球”事件对海水碳、硫同位素组成的影响

在新元古代晚期地球上曾发生过全球性的冰川作用，一些学者称之为“雪球”事件。在新元古代“雪球”事件前后，古海水的C、S同位素组成都出现了非常大的变化，在“雪球”之前海水中的碳酸盐非常富集^13C，在“雪球”期间和紧随其之后贫^13C，然后δ^13C值出现了高达10‰的正漂移；在“雪球”开始之前古海水硫酸盐的δ^34S值呈逐渐降低的变化特征，紧随“雪球”之后古海水硫酸盐的δ^34S值出现了超过20‰的正漂移，达到地质史上的最高值，同期形成的硫化物具有异常高的δ^34S值。“雪球”事件前后古海水C、S同位素组成的大幅度变化，是由“雪球”前后全球环境的剧烈变化引起的。“雪球”前后海水C、S同位素的大幅度变化是与“雪球”有关的特殊环境条件作用的结果，也是“雪球”事件存在的有力证据。     

新元古代”雪球”假说与生命演化的环境

新元古代末期，地球至少经历了两次全球性的冰川作用，研究者提出了“雪球”假说来解释新元古代时期一系列特殊的地质现象，该假说已成为研究新元古代全球冰川作用和其后生物大爆发事件的窗口。但一些学者并不赞成地球曾经是被冰雪完全覆盖的“雪球”，并分别提出了“半融雪球/无冰水体”和“薄冰”假说。尽管每一种假说都不能解释所有的地质、地球化学现象，但越来越越多的证据，特别是分子有机地球化学和古生物学的证据表明，“雪球”时期的海洋并没有完全被冰封盖，在赤道地区的冰盖可能很薄或存在无冰的水体。无冰水体的存在可以使一些光合生物继续生存和演化，这对其后的“寒武纪生物大爆发”事件和生命演化具有重要的意义。     

扬子区新元古代"雪球"时期古环境的分子地球化学证据

本文对采自中国南方典型剖面新元古界-下寒武统的43块岩样,包括16块冰期沉积物样品,进行了有机碳、镜质组反射率测定及可溶有机质饱和烃色谱和色谱-质谱等常规有机地球化学分析.结果显示,冰期沉积物有机碳含量比非冰期要低1～2个数量级,表明冰期海洋中仍具有一定的生物产率但严重降低,可能是由于"雪球"时期低的海水温度和冰雪覆盖严重影响了生物生存的原因.江口和南沱冰期沉积物中检测出一定量的来自叶绿素先驱物的姥鲛烷和植烷等类异戊二烯烃系列,表明"雪球"时期,扬子区古海水仍然存在微弱的透光带,局部地区没有完全被冰雪所覆盖,光合生物仍能进行一定的光合作用,在岩石中还发现了丰富的甾萜烷类生物标志化合物,也表明一些生物得以存活下来.与非冰期沉积物相比,冰期沉积物中老鲛烷+植烷绝对含量要低1～2个数量级,表明"雪球"时期的光合作用严重减弱.分子地球化学证据表明,"雪球"时期,扬子区的古海洋并没有完全被冰雪覆盖,局部地区仍存在无冰的水体,一些生物得以存活和演化.这些经受了环境重压熬过漫漫寒冬而存活下来的生物对其后的"寒武纪生物大爆发"具有重要的意义.     

The Origin and Significance of Snowball Structure in Garnet

Sigmoidal lines of inclusions (snowball structure) indicatesyntectonic crystallization and are due to the rotation of thecrystal during growth. The sigmoidal trends form spirals whosemathematical properties may be determined. Structural analysisof garnets from Tasmania and Scotland shows that the spiralsare a variant of the Archimedes spiral and the forms of thetwo examined are given by r²=a and r³= respectively, where ris the radius of the crystal, a is a constant, and is the angleof rotation in radians. The amount of movement (slip) alongthe foliation to cause the measured rotation of the crystalmay be calculated but is approximately 30 per cent greater thanthe length of the visible spiral.     

钠长石花岗岩中雪球结构形成机理的研究

在某些富锂、氟含稀有金属花岗岩的石英和钾长石斑晶中常见 (半 )雪球结构。雪球结构的产出特征、雪球体中钠长石的电子探针分析结果以及其他间接证据都说明 ,雪球结构是在岩浆结晶分异过程中形成的。对矿物结晶顺序、石英和钠长石的生长速率以及固相线温度的研究表明 ,富锂、氟、钠的花岗质残余岩浆完全具备形成雪球结构的条件。岩浆熔体中较高的Na2 O/K2 O比值和F、H2 O含量在雪球结构的形成过程中起着重要的作用 :F的高含量使岩浆固相线温度降低 ,岩浆得以充分分异演化 ,形成接近端员组分的钾长石和钠长石 ;Na2 O/K2 O比值较大使钠长石首先结晶 ;较高的F和H2 O含量使岩浆粘度降低 ,石英的生长速率相对加快并逐渐包裹钠长石形成雪球结构。     

Treasure!

The word ‘treasure’ conjures an image of objects of silver and gold, perhaps encrusted with gemstones, and some treasures dug from the ground certainly match this image (Fig. 1 ). However, a theme that ran through the recent exhibition of Treasure at the British Museum was that the archaeological value of treasure does not depend only on its content of precious metals or gems. Many items recovered from archaeological sites are made from or include natural rocks, minerals and gemstones, so that geological and mineralogical techniques and interpretative approaches often make an essential contribution to their study. This article explores the role of scientific examination in realizing the full archaeological value of treasure.

Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint Group of items from a Roman hoard, found at Thetford. These objects are not in Treasure but may be seen in Gallery 49 of the British Museum.     

流体地球科学与地球系统科学

近年来,地球系统科学逐渐成为地球科学的新趋势,但固体地球科学尚难于融入其中。其根本原因在于地球系统科学属于系统科学或复杂科学的组成部分,而固体地球科学其本质上属于理想科学的范畴,以研究线性地球过程为主,或者以理想科学的手法研究非线性地球过程。流体地球科学不仅研究地球的流体系统,也研究流体系统与固体系统的强和弱相互作用,是固体地球科学融入地球系统科学的唯一途径。