Distribution of particulate organic carbon in the central Arabian Sea

Particulate organic carbon (POC) of 161 water samples collected from 8 depths (surface to 1000 m) at 21 stations was measured. The POC concentrations ranged from 154 to 554 ¼g per litre at the surface and decreased in the upper 300 m water column. At greater depths (> 300 m), POC concentrations increased and were similar (145 to 542 ¼g1^?1) to those observed at surface. Deep water POC maximum was embedded within the oxygen minimum layer and was also associated with high phosphate-phosphorus. The POC contents increased, whereas oxygen decreased as the distance away from the shore increased. Phytoplankton biomass was a major source of POC. The observed pattern of POC is discussed with respect to some physicochemical and biological factors.     

Biogeochemical characteristics of the lower Mississippi River, USA, during June 2003

During June 2003, a period of mid level discharge (17,400 m⁻³ s⁻¹), a parcel of water in the lower Mississippi River was sampled every 2 h during its 4-d transit from river km 362 near Baton Rouge to km 0 at Head of Passes, Louisiana, United States. Properties measured at the surface during each of the 48 stations were temperature, salinity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen, dissolved macronutrients (NO₃+NO₂, PO₄, Si(OH)₄), chlorophylla (chla; three size fractions: < 5 μm, 5–20 μm, and > 20 μm) pigment composition by HPLC, total suspended matter (TSM), particulate organic carbon (POC), and particulate nitrogen (PN). Air-water CO₂ flux was calculated from surface water dissolved inorganic carbon and pH. During the 4 d transit, large particles appeared to be settling out of the surface water. Concentrations of chla containing particles > 20 μm declined 37%, TSM declined 43%, POC declined 42% and PN declined 57%. Concentrations of the smaller chla containing particles did not change suggesting only large particulate materials were settling. There was no measurable loss of dissolved NO₃, PO₄, or Si(OH)₄, consistent with the observation that chla did not increase during the 4-d transit. DOC declined slightly (3%). These data indicate there was little autotrophic or heterotrophic activity in the lower Mississippi River at this time, but the system was slightly net heterotrophic.     

A decade of change in the Skidaway River estuary II. Particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and chlorophylla

A sampling program was initiated in 1986 in the Skidaway River estuary, a tidally dominated subtropical estuary in the southeastern USA. Hydrography, nutrients, particulate organic matter (POM), and microbial and plankton abundance and composition were measured at weekly intervals at high and low tide on the same day at a single site. Hydrographic and nutrient data during 1986–1996 were given in Verity (2002); particulate organic carbon (POC), nitrogen (PON) and chlorophylla (chla) are presented here; plankton data will be presented elsewhere. Chla was fractionated into <8 μm and >8 μm size classes. All classes of POM exhibited distinct seasonal patterns superimposed upon significant long-term increases during the study period. Total chla, <8 μm chla, and >8 μm chla increased 36%, 61%, and 18%, respectively, however the fraction of total biomass attributable to small phytoplankton (<8 μm) increased 25%. The annual amplitude between minimum and maximum stock sizes increased significantly, meaning that bloom events became larger. POC and PON also increased 16% over the decade and, as observed with patterns in chla, exhibited increases in annual amplitude. The C:N ratio was typically 6.4–6.6 (wt:wt) and did not change significantly, while the annual mean C:Chla ratio decreased 19% from 165 to 140. These characteristics indicated highly labile POM composed of significant amounts of detritus, but which became increasingly autotrophic with time. Averaged over the decade, temperature explained 45–50% of the variance in POM. Nutrients were even better predictors of POM, as 60–75% of the variance in chla, POC, and PON were explained by ambient concentrations of DIN, or PO₄. Combined with significant increases in NO₃, NH₄, PO₄, Si(OH)₄, and DON during 1986–1996, these data strongly suggest that anthropogenic activities contributed to increased loading of dissolved nutrients, which became incorporated into living and nonliving particulate organic matter.     

An experimental study of Ostwald ripening of olivine and plagioclase in silicate melts: implications for the growth and size of crystals in magmas

We carried out an experimental study to characterize the kinetics of Ostwald ripening in the forsterite-basalt system and in the plagioclase (An₆₅)-andesite system. Eight experiments were done in each system to monitor the evolution of mean grain size and crystal size distribution (CSD) with time t; the experiments were performed in a 1-atmosphere quench furnace, at 1,250°C for plagioclase and 1,300°C for olivine. Very contrasted coarsening kinetics were observed in the two series. In the plagioclase series, the mean grain size increased as log(t), from ≈3 μm to only 8.7 μm in 336 h. The kinetic law in log(t) means that Ostwald ripening was rate-limited by surface nucleation at plagioclase-liquid interfaces. In the olivine series, the mean grain size increased as t ^1/3, from ≈3 μm to 23.2 μm in 496 h. A kinetic law in t ^1/3 is expected when Ostwald ripening is rate-limited either by diffusion in the liquid or by grain growth/dissolution controlled by a screw dislocation mechanism. The shape of olivine CSDs, in particular their positive skewness, indicates that grain coarsening in the olivine experiments was controlled by a screw dislocation mechanism, not by diffusion. As the degrees of undercooling ΔT (or supersaturation) involved in Ostwald ripening are essentially <1°C, the mechanisms of crystal growth identified in our experiments are expected to be those prevailing during the slow crystallisation of large magma chambers. We extrapolated our experimental data to geological time scales to estimate the effect of Ostwald ripening on the size of crystals in magmas. In the case of plagioclase, Ostwald ripening is only efficient for mean grain sizes of a few microns to 20 μm, even for a time scale of 10⁵ years. It can, however, result in a significant decrease of the number of small crystals per unit volume, and contribute to the development of convex upwards CSDs. For olivine, the mean grain size increases from 2–3 μm to ≈70 μm in 1 year and 700 μm in 10³ years; a mean grain size of 3 mm is reached in 10⁵ years. Accordingly, the rate of grain size-dependent processes, such as compaction of olivine-rich cumulates or melt extraction from partially molten peridotites, may significantly be enhanced by textural coarsening.     

Short-term variability of water quality parameters in two shallow estuaries of North Carolina

We quantified the effects of nutrient loading following precipitation events (≥ 1.25 cm) in 2 tidal creeks varying in size and anthropogenic input during the winter and summer seasons of 1996. Several water quality parameters were repeatedly measured in the water column every 3 h for several days after each event (4–5 per season). Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) behaved nonconservatively with salinity and appeared as pulsed additions, occasionally doubling within 1 to 2 tidal cycles following significant rain events. Average values for TN, TP, and chlorophylla were 10–15 μM, <4 μM, and <7 μg l⁻¹, respectively for winter events and 30–35 μM, >4 μM, and ≥ 7 μg l⁻¹, respectively for summer events. However, response times were variable, depending on the magnitude and duration of the event as well as temperature. Chlorophylla biomass often increased after nutrient additions, especially in the summer when increased nutrient loading took place. Dissolved silica (DSi) behaved conservatively with salinity; low values were observed at high tide and vice versa. Average DSi ranges for winter and summer events were 5–45 μM and 10–85 μM, respectively. DSi range values increased proportionally with the amount of freshwater loaded into the system. Recovery times for salinity were usually greater than the recovery times for nutrients. Dissolved oxygen displayed a diel pattern, increasing after daytime productivity and decreasing during nighttime. In conclusion, each rainfall event was unique and responses were variable depending upon rainfall history, seasonality, and the duration and intensity of the rainfall event. Several other variables, such as water viscosity, percolation rates, and evapotranspiration rates which were not quantified in this study, could have also explained parameter responses.     

Hydrochemistry of Lakes of the Patagonian Province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)

Chemical studies on 19 lakes of the Argentine sector of the Patagonian Tierra del Fuego Island were performed. These lakes are placed in two geological provinces, Extra Andine (northern) and Fueguian Cordillera (southern). Range of the results obtained, pH (5.80–8.60), TDS (29.5–10,232 mg/l), ionic composition (from calcium bicarbonate to sodium chloride type), Secchi disc depth (0.05–12 m), total inorganic nitrogen (20–237 μg N/l), orthophosphate (5–498 μg P/l), total phosphorus (5–3,800 μg P/l) and chlorophyll a (0.1–63.0 μg/l), indicated the presence of a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems. According to Gibbs model, the mechanisms that control the water chemistry are mainly rock dominance and evaporation–crystallization processes.     

Toxicities of p-nitrotoluenes and their effects on blood corpuscles and ovaries in Crusian carps (Carassius auratus)

p-nitrotoluene is an important organic intermediate widely used in pesticide, foamed plastics, dyestuff and medicine industries. In this paper, Crusian carps (Carassius auratus) were exposed to dilute p-nitrotoluene solutions with different concentrations of 0, 20, 40, 80, 120, 160, 240 and 320 μg/L; the subsequent physiological responses to the chemical were observed, and the variation characteristics of blood corpuscles, ovaries and oocytes were studied by bio-microscopy. Results showed that even very low concentrations of p-nitrotoluene would lead to toxicosis and even the death of Carassius auratus. The bio-microscopic structures revealed that, compared with the compartment of Carassius auratus growing in the p-nitrotoluene-free water (the control group), the lower concentrations of p-nitrotoluene (for example no more than 80 μg/L) would result in the faster disintegration of erythrocytes and the significant enlargement of oocytes, while the higher contents of p-nitrotoluene (no less than 240 μg/L in this case) would inhibit the division of cells and their further growth, even degenerate blood corpuscles and ovaries, suggesting stronger estrogenic activities. The study is financially supported by the Development Foundation of Science and Technology under Shandong Provincial Education Department (No. J05D51).     

Modelling natural attenuation of heavy-metal groundwater contamination in the Selebi-Phikwe mining area,Botswana

Seepage from a tailings dam is the major source of groundwater pollution in the Selebi-Phikwe area, where mining of sulphidic nickel–copper–cobalt ore started in 1973 and will continue until 2014. The seepage water has a pH in the range of 1.7–2.8 and is strongly enriched in SO₄ ²⁻ (5,680 g/L) and heavy metals (6,230 μg/L Ni, 1,860 μg/L Cu and 410 μg/L Co). The fracture aquifer affected by pollution from the dam exhibits a remarkable capacity of heavy-metal sorption. Most of the Ni, Cu and Co is scavenged at less than 500 m distance downgradient from the polluting source, whereas SO₄ ²⁻ is not immobilized significantly. The heavy-metal sorption process is assumed to be due to surface complexation, which is supported by a relatively high groundwater pH (in the range of 6.2–7.8 at >200 m distance from the tailings dam). The objective of this study is to demonstrate that the sorption process can be incorporated into a realistic three-dimensional reactive-transport groundwater model that is implicitly charge-balanced. The simulations are performed with the PHAST1.2 program, which is based on the HST3D flow and transport code and the hydrochemical PHREEQC2.12 code.     

A particle conveyor belt process in the Columbia River estuary: Evidence from chlorophyll<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis> and particulate organic carbon

Using both the photosynthetically active chlorophylla (chla) content of the organic carbon fraction of suspended particulate matter (chla/POC) and the percentage of photosynthetically, active chla in fluorometrically measured chla plus pheophytina (% chla), we determined that under specified hydrodynamic conditions, neap-spring tidal differentiation in particle dynamics could be observed in the Columbia River estuary. During summer time neap tides, when river discharge was moderate, bottom chla/POC remained relatively unchanged from riverine chla/POC over the full 0–30 psu salinity range, suggesting a benign trapping environment. During summertime spring tides, bottom chla/POC decreased at mid range salinities indicating resuspension of chla-poor POC during flood-ebb transitions. Bottom % chla during neap tides tended to average higher than that during spring tides, suggesting that neap particles were more recently hydrodynamically trapped than those on the spring tides. Such differentiation supported the possibility of operation of a particle conveyor belt process, a process in which low-amplitude neap tides favor selective particle trapping in estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM)., while high-amplitude spring tides favor particle resuspension from the ETM. Untrapped river-derived particles at the surface would continue through the estuary to the coastal ocean on the neap tide; during spring tide some particles eroded from the ETM would combine with unsettled riverine particles in transit toward the ocean. Because in tensified biogeochemical activity is associated with ETM, these neap-spring differences may be critical to maintenance and renewal of populations and processes in the estuary. Very high river discharge (15, 000 m³ s⁻¹) tended to overwhelm neap-spring differences, and significant oceanic input during very low river discharge (5,000 m³ s⁻¹) tended to do the same in the estuarine channel most exposed to ocean input. During heavy springtime phytoplankton blooms, development of a thick bottom fluff layer rich in chla also appeared to negate neapspring differentiation because spring tides apparently acted to resuspend the same rich bottom material that was laid down during neap tides. When photosynthetic assimilation numbers [μgC (μgchl,a)⁻¹h⁻¹] were measured across, the full salinity range, no neap-spring differences and no river discharge effects occurred, indicating that within our suite of measurements the compositional distinction of suspended particulate material was mainly a function of chla/POC, and to a lesser extent % chla. Even though these measurements suggest the existence of a conveyor belt process, proof of actual operation of this phenomenon requires scalar flux measurements of chla properties in and out of the ETM on both neap and spring tides.     

Eco-physiological response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus euphratica</Emphasis> Oliv. to water release of the lower reaches of the Tarim River,China

Eco-physiological and plant performance responses and acclimation of Populus euphratica Oliv. to water release of the lower reaches of Tarim River, China were investigated. Three representative areas and 15 transects were selected along the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The groundwater level and salt content as well as plant performance and the contents of proline, soluble sugar, and plant endogenous hormone (ABA, CTK) in leaves were monitored and analyzed before- and after-water release. The groundwater level was raised in different areas and transects by the water release program. The physiological stress to P. euphratica decreased after the water release. Our results suggested that the groundwater level in the studied region changed from −3.15 to −4.12 m, salt content of the groundwater from 67.15 to 72.65 mM, the proline content from 9.28 to 11.06 mM, the soluble sugar content from 224.71 to 252.16 mM, the ABA content from 3.59 to 5.01 ng/(g FW), and the CK content from 4.01 to 4.56 ng/(g FW)- for the optimum growth and recover of P. euphratica indicated by the plant performance parameters, and the efficiency of water release was the highest.     

Geochemical Characteristics of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Kocebu Seamount Waters of the Western Pacific Ocean in Spring 2018

The study of the geochemical characteristics of the POC in the seamount area will be of great significance for further understanding the material cycle process in the seamount ecosystem. Based on a comprehensive survey of the Kocebu seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean in March, 2018, the distribution, source and composition of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) in the seawater of the Kocebu seamount area were discussed. The results showed that the concentration of POC in the Kocebu seamount area gradually decreased with the increasing water depth, and slightly rose in the water layers near the bottom of the seamount. The average concentration of POC in each water mass was sorted from high to low in the order of North Pacific Tropic Water, North Pacific Intermediate Water and Deep Water (DW), and the concentration of POC at stations near the seamount summit was lower than that far from the seamount in the DW. There was upwelling at the water layers of 750~1 500 m above the seamount summit, causing the uplift of the 12.50 μg/L POC isoline in this region, however, no “seamount effect” was formed. The POC was mainly imported from the sea with an average POC/PON of 3.75. At the water layers of 0~300 m, only the POC/chlorophyll a (Chl a) at deep chlorophyll maximum layer was less than 200, indicating that the POC in this region was mainly in a form of life, while at the water layer of 300 m, the POC/Chl a increased sharply, indicating that the non-living POC contributed the most to the total POC.     

Environmental and health risk assessment in abandoned mining area, Zlata Idka, Slovakia

The Zlata Idka village is a typical mountainous settlement. As a consequence of more than 500 years of mining activity, its environment has been extensively affected by pollution from potentially toxic elements. This paper presents the results of an environmental-geochemical and health research in the Zlata Idka village, Slovakia. Geochemical analysis indicates that arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are enriched in soils, groundwater, surface water and stream sediments. The average As and Sb contents are 892 mg/kg and 818 mg/kg in soils, 195 mg/kg and 249 mg/kg in stream sediments, 0.028 mg/l and 0.021 mg/l in groundwater and 0.024 mg/l and 0.034 mg/l in surface water. Arsenic and Sb concentrations exceed upper permissible limits in locally grown vegetables. Within the epidemiological research the As and Sb contents in human tissues and fluids have been observed (blood, urine, nails and hair) in approximately one third of the village’s population (120 respondents). The average As and Sb concentrations were 16.3 μg/l and 3.8 μg/l in blood, 15.8 μg/l and 18.8 μg/l in urine, 3,179 μg/kg and 1,140 μg/kg in nails and 379 μg/kg and 357 μg/kg in hair. These concentrations are comparatively much higher than the average population. Health risk calculations for the ingestion of soil, water, and vegetables indicates a very high carcinogenic risk (>1/1,000) for as content in soil and water. The hazard quotient [HQ=average daily dose (ADD)/reference dose (RfD)] calculation method indicates a HQ>1 for groundwater As and Sb concentrations.     

Kinetic Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Iron（Ⅲ）with p—Amino—N,N—Dimethylaniline Dihydrochloride and Hydrogen Peroxide

A new, simple and highly sensitive kinetic method for the determination of trace iron (III) has been developed based on the catalytic effect of iron (III) on color reaction ofp-amino-N, N-dimethylaniline dihydrochloride (p-DMA) oxidated by hydrogen peroxide. The reaction is followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the absorbance at 510 nm. The detection limit is 4.47×10⁻¹¹ g/ml, and the calibration curve is linear in the range of 0–0.10μg Fe(III) /25 ml with a relative standard deviation of ±3.25%. The method has been applied to the determination of iron in tap-water, chemical reagents and human hair.     

Compositions and sources of extractable organic matter in Mesopotamian marshland surface sediments of Iraq. I: aliphatic lipids

Shallow surface sediment samples from the Mesopotamian marshlands of Iraq were collected and analyzed to determine the distribution, concentrations and sources of aliphatic lipid compounds (n-alkanes, n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, and methyl n-alkanoates) and molecular markers of petroleum in these wetlands. The sediments were collected using a stainless steel sediment corer, dried, extracted with a dichloromethane/methanol mixture and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The aliphatic lipid compounds included n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols and methyl n-alkanoates with concentrations ranged from 6.8 to 31.1 μg/g, 4.1 to 5.0 μg/g, 5.9 to 7.7 μg/g and from 0.3 to 5.9 μg/g, respectively. The major sources of aliphatic lipids were natural from waxes of higher plants (24–30%) and microbial residues (42–30%), with a significant contribution from anthropogenic sources (27–30%, petroleum), based on the organic geochemical parameters and indices. Further studies are needed to characterize the rate, accumulation and transformation of various organic matter sources before and after re-flooding of these wetlands.     

The rate of water loss from olivine-hosted melt inclusions

Diffusive water loss from olivine-hosted melt inclusions has been reported previously. This process must be considered when interpreting melt inclusion data. This study measured the rate of water loss from olivine-hosted melt inclusions during heating-stage experiments to test a previous diffusive reequilibration model and the hydrogen diffusion mechanism that controls the rate. Olivine-hosted melt inclusions were heated to a constant temperature in reduced Ar gas in a heating stage for a few hours, and unpolarized Fourier transform infrared spectra were repeatedly measured through the inclusions. Water loss occurred rapidly in the experiments. Within a few hours, the water absorbance at 3,500 cm⁻¹ wavenumber decreased by half. The observed water loss rate can be explained by the diffusive reequilibration model and hydrogen diffusion in olivine coupled with metal vacancy. The beginning of water loss was different in the low- and high-temperature experiments. At low temperatures (1,423 and 1,437 K), water loss did not occur in the initial 1 or 2 h. At high temperatures (1,471–1,561 K), water loss began immediately. The initial time period without water loss at low temperatures may be explained by a hydrogen fugacity barrier in the host olivine. At low temperatures, the internal pressure may be lower than the equilibrium pressure of melt inclusion and olivine, causing lower hydrogen fugacity in the melt inclusion than in the olivine, which will delay the water loss from the melt inclusion. The tested model and diffusivity were used to estimate the rate of water loss during homogenization experiments and magma eruption and cooling. For 1-h homogenization experiment, the model shows that large inclusions (50 μm radius) in large olivines (500 μm radius) are robust against water loss, while large or small inclusions (50–10 μm radius) in small olivines (150 μm radius) may suffer 30–100% water loss. For natural samples, the correlation between water concentration and melt inclusion and olivine sizes may be helpful to infer the initial water concentration, degree of diffusive reequilibration, and magma cooling rate.     

Seasonal variability of deep ocean particle fluxes and particle composition in the north open sea of Prydz Bay

Time-series Mark VII sediment trap was deployed at 72°58.55′E, 62°28.63°S (north of the Prydz Bay, Antarctica) during the cruise of CHINARE-15 in cooperation with University of Marine of America. Seasonal variability of deep ocean particle fluxes and biogenic components were investigated in order to reveal the fluxes and biogeochemistry of sinking particles in the deep ocean. The results show that the total mass flux of sinking particles at a water depth of 1000 m ranges from 13.00 to 334.59 mg⋅d⁻¹⋅m⁻²). A marked seasonal variability exists in the fluxes of all particle components reflecting the seasonal changes in upper water productivity. Biogenic material was a significant component and biogenic silica represented more than 80% of the biogenic matter, reflecting a diatom dominated system, but a lithogenic fraction is always present. The fact that the POC dominated over particulate inorganic carbon (as CaCO₃) and C_inorg/C_org was always greater than 1, indicate a net removal of CO₂ from surface water by biological activity. __________ Translated from Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2006, 5: 49–55 [译自:海洋 学报]     

Geochemical study of arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and sediments of the Old Brahmaputra River Plain,Bangladesh

The geochemical study of groundwaters and core sediments from the Old Brahmaputra plain of Bangladesh was conducted to investigate the distribution of arsenic and related trace elements. Groundwaters from tube wells are characterized by pH of 6.4–7.4, dissolved oxygen (DO) of 0.8–1.8 mg/l, Ca contents of 5–50 mg/l, and Fe contents of 0.2–12.9 mg/l. Arsenic concentrations ranged from 8 to 251 μg/l, with an average value of 63 μg/l. A strong positive correlation exists between As and Fe (r ² = 0.802; p = 0.001) concentrations in groundwater. The stratigraphic sequences in the cores consist of yellowish silty clays at top, passing downward into grayish to yellowish clays and sands. The uppermost 3 m and lower parts (from 13 to 31 m) of the core sediments are oxidized (average oxidation reduction potential (ORP) +170 and +220 mV, respectively), and the ORP values gradually become negative from 3 to 13 m depths (−35 to −180 mV), indicating that anoxic conditions prevail in the shallow aquifers of the Brahmaputra plain. Age determinations suggest that clay horizons at ~10 m depth were deposited at around 2,000 and 5,000 years BP (¹⁴C ages) during the transgressive phase of sea-level change. Elevated concentrations of As, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, and V are present in the silts and clays, probably due to adsorption onto clay particles. Significant concentrations of As occur in black peat and peaty sediments at depths between 9 and 13 m. A strong positive correlation between As and Fe was found in the sediments, indicating As may be adsorbed onto Fe oxides in aquifer sediments.     

Ion microprobe analysis of oxygen isotope ratios in quartz from Skye granite: healed micro-cracks,fluid flow,and hydrothermal exchange

 Quartz grains in hydrothermally altered granites from the Isle of Skye are highly heterogeneous and not equilibrated in oxygen isotope ratio at the 20 μm scale. Ion microprobe analysis of one grain shows a gradient of 13‰ over 400 μm and a greater range in δ ¹⁸O than all quartz previously analyzed on the Isle of Skye. Other crystals from the same outcrop are homogeneous. Digitized cathodoluminescence images reveal patterns of magmatic zoning and brittle fracturing not otherwise detectable. The ion probe analysis correlates low δ ¹⁸O values on a micro-scale to one set of healed cracks. Thus, quartz exchanges oxygen isotopes primarily by solution and reprecipitation along fractures, in contrast to more reactive feldspar that appears to exchange from the grain boundary inward. Macroscopic models of isotope exchange are not realistic for these rocks; the flow of hydrothermal fluids was heterogeneous, anisotropic and crack controlled. Received: 23 October 1995/Accepted: 9 April 1996     

Spatial distribution characteristics of stable carbon isotope compositions in desert plant Reaumuria soongorica (Pall.) Maxim

In order to investigate the distribution characteristics of stable carbon isotope ratios (δ ¹³C) in the desert plant Reaumuria soongorica, the δ ¹³C values of leaves were measured in 407 individuals of 21 populations. Soil physicochemical properties including soil water content, soil total dissolved solids, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus and soil organic content were also analyzed in order to survey the major factors influencing δ ¹³C values on spatial variation. Leaves and soil samples were simultaneously collected from the ten major distribution areas in Northwest China at altitudes from 394 m to 1 987 m above sea level, at latitudes from 36°10′N to 44°33′N, and at longitudes from 81°43′E to 106°37′E. These ten areas include Shihezi, Baicheng, Yiwu areas in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Anxi, Zhangye, Baiyin, Lanzhou areas in Gansu Province; Shapotou, Yinchuan areas in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; and Alashan County in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The results show that the δ ¹³C value of R. soongorica ranges from −22.77‰ to −29.85‰ with an average of −26.52‰. Foliar d13C values in R. soongorica are not significantly correlated with altitude, latitude or longitude, and a spatial distribution trend of d13C values of R. soongorica is not obvious on a large scale. However, when d13C values of two R. soongorica populations under the same climate conditions are compared, δ ¹³C values increase obviously from east to west and from north to south. As none of the soil total dissolved solids, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus, and soil organic content shows a uniform trend from east to west and from north to south, we suppose that the small-scaled spatial distribution pattern of δ ¹³C values of R. soongorica is mainly controlled by the soil water content. Translated from Quaternary Sciences, 2006, 26(6): 947–954 [译自: 第四纪研究]     

Geochemical characteristics of Cenozoic high-K igneous rocks from Liuhe-Xiangduo area, eastern Tibet

The major elements, trace elements and Nd-Sr isotopic composition of Cenozoic high-K igneous rocks and mafic deep-derived enclaves from the Liuhe-Xiangduo area, eastern Tibet, indicate the high-K igneous rocks are characterized as being enriched in Ca (CaO= 1.20% - 8.80% ), alkali (Na2O K2O= 3.47% - 10.65% ), especially K (K2O up to 5.96% ) and depleted in Ti (TiO2= 0.27% - 1.50% ). Their REE contents are very high (REE= 91.29 - 231.11 μg/g). Their REE distribution patterns are of the right-inclined type, characterized by intense LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)N= 7.44 - 15.73 ]. The rocks are distinctly enriched in Rb, Sr and Ba ( 46.3 -316 μg/g, 349-1220 μg/g and 386-2394 μg/g, respectively), high in U and Th ( 1.17 - 8.10 μg/g and 2.58 - 27.0 μg/g, respectively), moderate in Zr and Hf ( 87.5 -241 μg/g and 2.83 - 7.52 μg/g, respectively), and depleted in Nb and Ta ( 4.81 - 16.8 μg/g and 0.332 - 1.04 μg/g, respectively). In the primitive mantle-normalized incompatible element spidergram, U, K, Sr and Hf show positive anomalies, whereas Th, Nb, Ta, P, and Ti show negative anomalies. The rocks are strongly depleted in Cr and Ni ( 21.4 -1470 μg/g and 7.79 -562 μg/g, respectively), and their transition element distribution curves are obviously of type-W. The ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratios range from 0.704184 to 0.707539 ; ( 143 Nd / 144 Nd)i from 0.512265 to 0.512564 ; and ε Nd (t) from -6.3 to -0.4 . These geochemical features might suggest that the potential source of the high-K igneous rocks in the Liuhe-Xiangduo area is similar to the EM2, which may be similar to the material enriched K that is located under the crust-mantle mixed layer. The mafic deep-derived enclaves in the high-K igneous rocks belong to chance xenoliths. Their ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratios range from 0.706314 to 0.707198 ; ( 143 Nd / 144 Nd)i from 0.512947 to 0.513046 ; and ε Nd (t) from 7.0 to 9.0 . These geochemical features might indicate that the enclaves probably came from the depleted mantle. The P-T conditions of the enclaves also showed that the enclaves are middle-lower crust metamorphic rocks, which were accidentally captured at 20-50 km level by rapidly entrained high-K magma, whose source is over 50 km in depth.