Heavy metal distributions in the sediments of ＂Cattle Pond＂ on the Dongdao Island of South China Sea： Geochemical and statistical approaches for source tracing

The Dongdao Island of the Xisha atolls is located in the center of the South China Sea. The nearby ambient sea, with thousands of reefs, atolls, submerged reefs and banks, is probably one of the most biologically diverse bodies of water on the planet. Due to the distance from the mainland of China and unaccessibility to this coral island, little research work has been conducted to date. Because only Chinese troops and a few fishermen are allowed to reside in some islands, however, the Xisha region is at a relatively pristine condition and provides an ideal site for investigating geochemical characteristics and processes of trace heavy metals. The levels and depth distributions of As, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Hg and P in two sediment cores DY2 and DY4 collected from the ＂Cattle Pond＂ of the Dongdao Island, South China Sea, were determined and analyzed with the main objective to identify the sources of these elements and evaluate the corresponding sedimentological and geochemical processes. Lithological characters and sedimentary parameters such as LOI 950℃, CaO, LOI 550℃ and TOC indicate that the depths of 96 cm and 87 cm are the critical points for DY2 and DY4 cores, respectively. As, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg and P are remarkably enriched in the ornithogenic sediments above the critical depth points; their concentration-versus-depth profiles are similar to those of TOC and LOI 550℃; the ratios of As, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg over Ca are significantly correlated with P/Ca. Statistical and comparative analyses of these elements＇ levels in the ornithogenic sediments of DY2 and DY4 strongly suggest that seabird droppings are the main source of these elements, and these heavy metals are very likely transported into the sediments through sorptive or complexing reactions with humic phosphate compounds leached from guano. Additionally, for the upper sediment layers of DY2 and DY4 cores, Fe oxide sorption mechanism, like organic matter, may also play an important role in the abundance of heavy metals.     

Quantitative Evaluation of the Sea-level Drop at the End-Permian: Based on Reefs

The amplitude of pre-Quaternary sea level drop, H, can be calculated by using the formula H = D + To, where To is the original thickness from the top of the tidal deposits on the reef core to the bottom of the tidal deposits on the reef front, or to the bottom of the ancient meteoric vadose zone, or to the edge of the mixed-water dolostone zone. The identity and similarity between the sea-level drop amplitudes calculated from different reefs far away from each other indicates that such sea-level changes are eustatic rather than relative changes. Evidence of an end-Permian sea-level drop has been found on the Changxingian (i.e. the end of the Palaeofusulina zone) reefs at Ziyun in South China, including algal laminated deposits, sabkha-related dolostone, desiccation cracks, dissolution collapse breccia. According to calculation based on the meteoric dissolution zone of the reef-core sequence at Ziyun, Guizhou province, the amplitude of the sea-level drop at the end-Permian is about 89.3 m. Calculation vi     

Paleoecology of Early Ordovician Reefs in the Yichang Area, Hubei: a Correlation of Organic Reefs Between Early Ordovician and Jurassic

The Early Ordovician System is composed mainly of a series of carbonate platform deposits interbedded with shale and is especially characterized by a large number of organic reefs or buildups that occur widely in the research area. The reefs have different thicknesses ranging from 0.5 m to 11.5 m and lengths varying from 1 m to 130 m. The reef-building organisms include Archaeoscyphia, Recepthaculitids, Batostoma, Cyanobacteria and Pulchrilamina. Through the research of characteristics of the reef-bearing strata of the Early Ordovician in the Yichang area, four sorts of biofacies are recognized, which are (1) shelly biofacies: containing Tritoechia-Pelmatozans community and Tritoechia-Pomatotrema community; (2) reef biofacies: including the Batostoma, Calathium-Archaeoscyphia, Pelmatozoa-Batostoma, Archeoscyphia and Calathium-Cyanobacteria communities; (3) standing-water biofacies: including the Acanthograptus-Dendrogptus and Yichangopora communities; and (4) allochthonous biofacies: containing Nanorthis-Psilocephlina taphocoense community. The analysis of sea-level changes indicates that there are four cycles of sea-level changes during the period when reef-bearing strata were formed in this area, and the development of reefs is obviously controlled by the velocity of sea-level changes and the growth of accommodation space. The authors hold that reefs were mostly formed in the high sea level periods. Because of the development of several subordinate cycles during the sea-level rising, the reefs are characterized by great quantity, wide distribution, thin thickness and small scale, which are similar to that of Juassic reefs in northern Tibet. The research on the evolution of communities shows that succession and replacement are the main forms. The former is favorable to the development of reefs and the latter indicates the disappearance of reefs.     

Early-Middle Permian Reef Frameworks and Reef-building Models in the Eastern Kunlun Mountains

Reef frameworks and building models of the Early-Middle Permian in the eastern Kunlun Mountains have been verified through studies of reef-building communities, palaeoecology and carbonate facies. The eastern Kunlun reefs are built mainly by 6 reef-building communities, which include 11 major categories of frame-building organisms and 6 categories of reef-associated organisms. Eight types of reef-frames have been distinguished and eleven kinds of rocks identified to belong to 6 reef facies. Three sorts of reefs classified by previous researchers, namely mudmounds, knoll reefs and walled reefs, are well developed in the study area. Such reef-facies association and reef distribution show that there are 4 models of reef growth and development, i.e. the tidal-bank knoll-reef model, the plateau-margin wall-reef model, the composite wall-reef model and the deep-water mudmound model. The reefs are mainly constructed by calcareous sponge and calcareous algae, which are similar to all Permian reefs in other area     

Large-scale Tazhong Ordovician Reef-flat Oil-Gas Field in the Tarim Basin of China

The Tazhong reef-flat oil-gas field is the first large-scale Ordovician organic reef type oil-gas field found in China. Its organic reefs were developed in the early Late Ordovician Lianglitag Formation, and are the first large reefs of the coral-stromatoporoid hermatypic community found in China. The organic reefs and platform-margin grain banks constitute a reef-flat complex, mainly consisting of biolithites and grainstones. The biolithites can be classified into the framestone, bafflestone, bindstone etc. The main body of the complex lies around the wells from Tazhong-24 to Tazhong-82, trending northwest, with the thickness from 100 to 300 m, length about 220 km and width 5-10 km. It is a reef-flat lithologic hydrocarbon reservoir, with a very complex hydrocarbon distribution: being a gas condensate reservoir as a whole with local oil reservoirs. The hydrocarbon distribution is controlled by the reef complex, generally located in the upper 100-200 m part of the complex, and largely in a banded shape along the complex. On the profile, the reservoir shows a stratified feature, with an altitude difference of almost 2200 m from southeast to northwest. The petroleum accumulation is controlled by karst reservoir beds and the northeast strike-slip fault belt. The total geologic reserves had reached 297.667 Mt by 2007.     

Reefs in the Early Paleozoic Taebaek Group, Korea: A Review

Various early Paleozoic (Cambrian Series 3–Middle Ordovician) reefs are found in the Taebaek Group, eastern Korea, located in the eastern margin of the Sino-Korean Block. They occur in every carbonate-dominant lithostratigraphic unit of the group, but their morphology and composition differ markedly. The Daegi Formation (middle Cambrian: Cambrian Series 3) contains siliceous sponge-Epiphyton reefs formed in a shallow subtidal environment, which is one of the earliest metazoan-bearing microbial reefs after the archaeocyath extinction. The Hwajeol Formation (upper Cambrian: Furongian) encloses sporadic dendrolites consisting of Angulocellularia, which developed in a relatively deep subtidal environment, representing a rare deeper water example. The onset of the Ordovician radiation resulted in the formation of microbialite–Archaeoscyphia–calathiid patch reefs in shallow subtidal deposits of the Lower Ordovician Dumugol Formation. Subsequent late Early Ordovician relative sea-level fall established extensive peritidal environments, forming microbial mats and stromatolites of the Lower–Middle Ordovician Makgol Formation. Ensuing Ordovician radiation resulted in one of the earliest metazoan skeletal reefs of the Middle Ordovician Duwibong Formation, constructed by stromatoporoid Cystostroma and bryozoan Nicholsonella, and developed around shallow shoals. These reefs reflect ongoing evolution and sea-level change during the early Paleozoic, and exemplify a rare glimpse of peri-Gondwanan records of reef evolution, which warrant detailed investigations and comparison with their counterparts in other regions.     

Study on the Safety of the Foundation Rock Masses in the Tangkou Bank of the Taipinghu Bridge

The Taipinghu Bridge is an important project, and the safety of rock masses of its foundation is very crucial. This article analyzes the potential causes of the deformation of the rock masses of the bridge foundation, and uses the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua to analyze the geologic model. The simulating process shows that no mater in the excavating process or in the loading process the rock masses are suit for the engineering. The modeling and analyzing process can be used for reference.     

Paleogene and Early Neogene Lacustrine Reefs in the WesternQaidam Basin, China

Typical reefs in the Paleogene and early Neogene strata of the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, China, reveal their internal structures and sedimentation environments and consist mainly of algal reef, stromatolite reef and thrombolite reef with distinct reef structures, fore-reef, back-reef and reef-plateau. The fore-reef is characterized by a combination of pinnacle reef, thrombolite and algal reef. The back reef is composed of stromatolite reef and algal reef. The pinnacle reefs (micro-atoll), most of which are several tens of centimeters in diameter (whereas some exceptionally big ones are over 200 cm in diameter), and several tens of centimeter to 2 m in height, are situated on the far front-edge of the reef; the pinnacle reef is also often of recumbent form with a gravel-filled circular hole in the center. The algal reef is in the form of dome and irregular beds, and filled with algal detritus, ostracodes, spirorbis fossils, ooid and terrigenous debris, and worm traces; cavities and scour marks are of     

On the Origin of the Carat as the Unit of Weight for Gemstones

The carat is the unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones.It corresponds to the average weight of the seeds of a leguminous tree.What kind of tree is this?We have studied the samples from Ethiopia,Egypt,Cyprus and the United States.The tree is neither“Kuara“nor“Locust“（Robina pseudoacacia Linn.）,but rather Carob(Ceratonia Siliqua).In Ethiopia,as called by local inhabitants,“Kuara“is a species of Erythrina-E.brucei rather than E.abyssinica.As might be expected,using the seeds as a means of weighing an extremely valuable commodity is not very scientific.Before 1907,at various times and in various countries,there were at least twenty-three stan-dards for the carat ranging from 187.00mg to 215.990mg.The metric carat equal to 200mg was proposed in Paris in 1907.It was adopted in the United States on July1,1913 and now is the world-accepted standard.But in reality,the standard of the carat is still confused with respect to its usage throughout the world .This is why the author reiterates that the standard of the car-at should be integrated with the metric system.     

Characteristics of the Reservoir of the Rehai Geothermal Field in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

The Rehai geothermal field in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province is a significant high-temperaturehydrothermal convective system. The geothermal reservoir is composed of granite. Various geothermometersare used to evaluate the reservoir temperature. The most likely temperature of the reservoir as representedby T_(Na-K-Ca) is about 230℃. The chemical and isotopic compositions of fluids before boiling within the reser-voir are estimated. The mixing and dilution of cold and warm waters are discussed. The Rehai geothermal fieldis a high-temperature (hot) water system with the subsurface boiling zone close to the surface. The reservoirpressure at different depths is calculated. And finally the water-rock equilibration is inferred.     

Combination Patterns and Depositional Characteristics of Ordovician Carbonate Banks in the Western Tarim Basin,China

The combination patterns and depositional characteristics of the carbonate banks are investigated based on outcrop sections, thin sections, and carbon isotopes of Ordovician in the western Tarim Basin, China. Four carbonate bank combination patterns are deposited in the Ordovician, western Tarim Basin, including: Reef-Bank Complex (RBC), Algae-Reef-Bank Interbed (ARBI), Thick-Layer Cake Aggradation Bank (TLCAB), and Thin-Layer Cake Retrogradation Bank (TLCRB). All combination patterns show clear periods vertically. The RBC is mainly composed of reefs and bioclastic banks, and the dimension of the RBC depends on the scale of the reefs. Bioclastic banks deposits surround the reefs. The range of the ARBI is determined by the scale of algae-reefs, algae peloid dolomite microfacies and algal dolomite microfacies deposit alternating vertically. TLCAB and TLCRB are deposited as layer-cakes stacking in cycles and extending widely with cross bedding developed. The grains of TLCAB and TLCRB are diverse and multi-source. With the impacting of relative sea level change, biological development and geomorphology, the ARBI, TLCAB or TLCRB, RBC are successively developed from the Lower Ordovician Penglaiba Formation to the Middle Ordovician Yijianfang Formation. The depositional environment analysis of Ordovician indicates that the RBC and ARBI can form effective oil and gas reservoirs, and the TLCAB and TLCRB have the potential to form the huge scale oil and gas reservoirs and to be the crucial targets of exploration for the Ordovician carbonate banks in the future.     

Implications of the Precambrian Non-stromatolitic Carbonate Succession Making up the Third Member of Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang Formation in Yanshan Area of North China

A particular non-stromatolitic carbonate succession making up the third member of the Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang (高于庄) Formation might demonstrate that a stromatolite decline of the Mesoproterozoic occurring at ca. 1 450 Ma besides other three events of the Proterozoic,respectively,occurred at ca. 2 000 Ma,ca. 1 000 Ma,and ca. 675 Ma. The forming duration of this non-stromatolitic carbonate succession can be generally correlative to that of a similar depositional succession in North America,i.e. a non-stromatolitic carbonate succession made up by the Helena Formation of the Belt Supergroup,which suggests that the stromatolite decline occurring at ca. 1 450 Ma may be a global event. This information endows the non-stromatolitic carbonate succession making up the third member of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation in the Yanshan (燕山) area with important significance for the further understanding of Precambrian sedimentology. The Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang Formation in Yanshan area is a set of more than 1 000 m thick carbonate strata that can be divided into four members (or subformations). The first member (or the Guandi (官地) subformation) is marked by a set of stromatolitic dolomites overlying a set of transgressive sandstones; the second member (or the Sangshu'an (桑树鞍) subformation) is a set of manganese dolomites with a few stromatolites; the third member (or the Zhangjiayu (张家峪) subformation) is chiefly made up of leiolite and laminite limestones and is characterized by the development of molar-tooth structures in leiolite limestone; the fourth member (or the Huanxiusi (环秀寺) subformation) is composed of a set of dolomites of stromatolitic reefs or lithoherms. Sequence-stratigraphic divisions at two sections,i.e. the Jixian (蓟县) Section in Tianjin (天津) and the Qiangou (千沟) Section of Yanqing (延庆) County in Beijing (北京),demonstrate that a particularly non-stromatolitic succession making up the third member of the Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang Formation is developed in the Yanshan area of North China,in which lots of grotesque matground structures (wrinkle structures and palimpsest ripples) are developed in beds of leiolite limestone at the Qiangou Section and lots of molar-tooth structures are developed in beds of leiolite limestone at the Jixian Section. The time scale of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation is deduced as 200 Ma (from 1 600 Ma to 1 400 Ma). The duration of an obvious hiatus between the Gaoyuzhuang Formation and the underlying Dahongyu (大红峪) Formation is deduced as 50 Ma to 100 Ma,thus the forming duration of the GaoyuzhuangFormation is thought as 100 Ma (1 500 Ma to 1 400 Ma). Furthermore,the age of the subface of the third member of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation that is just in the mid position of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation can be deduced as about 1 450 Ma,which is the basis to infer a stromatolite decline of the Mesoproterozoic occurring at ca. 1 450 Ma. Importantly,several features of both the molar-tooth structure and the stromatolite,such as the particular forming environment,the important facies-indicative meaning,and the episodic distribution in the earth history,might express the evolutionary periodicity of the surface environment of the earth and can provide meaningful clues for the understanding of the Precambrian world,although their origin and forming mechanism is highly contentious. Therefore,like other three stromatolitic declines,respectively,occurring at ca. 675 Ma,ca. 1 000 Ma,and ca. 2 000 Ma,the identification of the stromatolite decline occurring at ca. 1 450 Ma during the Golden Age of stromatolites (2 800 Ma to 1 000 Ma) has important meaning for the further understanding of the evolving carbonate world of the Precambrian.     

Study on the Safety of the Rock Mass in the Tongling Bank of Taipinghu Bridge

The Taipinghu Bridge is an important engineering construction, and the safety of rock mass of its foundation is very crucial. This article adopts FLAC 3D to analysis the geologic model. The simulating process shows that no mater the excavating process or the loading process the rock mass are safe. The modeling and analyzing process can be used for reference.     

Chronostratigraphy and Stratigraphic Classification of the Cretaceous of the Songliao Basin

Isotopic ages of synsedimentary clay minerals were directly determined with the ultrasonicscattering-settlement separation-K-Ar dilution technique. The apparent age of black mudstoneis 123 Ma for the Quantou Formation, 111.9-89.0 Ma for the Qingshankou Formation and77.6-76.8 Ma for the upper part of the Nenjiang Formation. The Rb-Sr isochrone age of themuddy limestone-mudstone sequence of the lower part of the Nenjiang Formation is 81 Ma andthat of the muddy evaporite of the middle part of the Quantou Formation is 122.2 Ma. On thebasis of the above isotopic ages, the authors propose a modified scheme of stratigraphic classifi-cation of the Cretaceous of the Songliao basin.     

Evolutionary Stages of the Earliest Skeletal Fauna and Division and Correlation of the Precambrian-Cambrian Boundary Strata

Through an analysis of the earliest fossils in the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary beds in various parts ofthe world, especially in the Yangtze and Siberia platforms, the author has found that the evolution of the ea-rliest skeletal animals may be divided from older to younger into three stages. The first stage (theAnabarites-Protohertzina fauna) is represented by the Anabarites-Protohertzina zone of the Meishucunian Stagein the Yangtze platform and the A. trisulcatus and P. cristata zones of the Manykayn Stage in Siberia. The sec-ond stage (the earliest orthothecimorphid and mollusc fauna) is represented by the Paragloborilus-Siphogonuchites zone of the Meishucunian Stage and the Aldanocyathus sunnaginicus zone of the TommotianStage. The third stage (the earliest hyolithimorphid and lapworthellid fauna) is represented by the Sinosachiteszone of the Meishucunian Stage and the D.regularis and D.lenaicus zones of the Tommotian Stage. The threeevolutionary stages can be used as a criterion for worldwide correlation.     

On the Causes of Climatic Change and the Last Quaternary Glaciation in Asia

The geological events happened since the beginning of the building of theraised coral reefs may be summarized as follows: 1. The period of the formation of raised coral reefs seems to coincidewith the last interglacial stage, at least in Asia. This will be termed the"Tateyama Reef Stage." In this period it was not the climate of the wholeworld, but the location of latitude that was different from that of present.Latitudes of places in Asia were about 5 degrees nearer to the equator than theyare now. The...     

Arsenic pollution of groundwater and its release mechanism in the central part of the Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia, China

Arsenic pollution of groundwater has become a serious health problem in several regions of the world. Wuyuan County located in the central part of the Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia, is one of the most severely arsenic polluted areas. Peoples of the county have used groundwater of shallow （12-25 m） tube-well as drinking water. The groundwater is Na-HCO3 and Na-Cl type on the piper plots and aligns with steady Ca ： Mg ratio on cation diagram. The arsenic content in the water is more than 0.2 mg/L and the highest value reaches up to 0.52 mg/L. Drilling data show that Holocene sediments are divided into three zones on the basis of their color appearances; brown, grey and dark gray zones. The strata from 2m to 9-14m under the surface are mainly composed of clay and silt which are impermeable layers. The grey and dark grey zones composed of sand underlie the impermeable bed and the condition of their zones is reductive. At the depth of 30 m near the bottom of drilling, ORP of the groundwater is -300- -400 mV. The dark grey sand changes to yellow in color under the atmosphere. Under reducing environment, the color returns to its original dark grey. The characteristic color is due to amorphous or low-crystalline Fe sulfide coating sand grains. The sediments are of fluvial origin by the Yellow River. The arsenic content in the sediments is rich in fine-grained part and its values are more than 20 mg/kg in clay layer. The highest is 38 mg/kg. X-ray diffraction and macroscopic observation show that the clay layer is made of minerals such as chlorite and illite and contains high quantities of organic matter.     

Selected aspects of studies of sediments from the Ebro River （Spain） and the Dobczyce drinking water reservoir （Poland） within the frames of the European and national research projects

Mineral and organic matter either soluble or suspended are transported by the rivers and when deposited in the bed of the river or in the water reservoir, sediments are formed, whose chemical composition may serve as a fingerprint of the history of the ecosystem. The results of the studies of sediments in water systems （river catchments, reservoirs） can be used not only for the evaluation of the current state of the ecosystem but also to prevent any dangerous environmental changes. Bottom sediments can in many ways accumulate both suspended and soluble components. The process is influenced by several factors like pH, red-ox potential, oxygen content, interactions, etc. The complexity of those phenomena causes that in order to study the accumulation processes of compounds in sediments the application of various analytical techniques is required. The authors participate in two big projects on sediment studies. The AquaTerra Project is the EU funded project on understanding river-sediment-soil-groundwater interactions for support of management of river basins and catchment areas. Our group＇s studies are focused on mercury determination and its speciation in sediments and fish from the Ebro River in Spain. The Dobczyce Project is the national project funded by the Ministry of Education and sciences of Poland which is also a EU member country. The latter covers many aspects of accumulation and fate processes of chemical compounds in sediments of the reservoir which supplies 60% of drinking water to about one million population in the city of Krakow in Poland.     

Tectonic Interpretation of the Earthquake istribution in the Contiguous Continent of the United States

With increasing high-quality geological and geophysical data it becomes clear that seismicity of the continents is characterized by linear patterns which are closely associated with tectonic features. The aim of this paper is to give reasonable interpretation for the earthquake distribution in the contiguous continent of the United States. Seismic lines and earthquake concentrated zones are defined, which reflect the characteristics of the continental seismotectonics. Similarities and differences in seismotectonics between the continental part of China and the contiguous continent of US are analysed. It is demonstrated that the spatial distribution of earthquakes can provide the information of the active structures in the earth's crust. The authors consider that the patterns of continental seismotectonics are not only controlled by the pre—existing tectonic frameworks and the current boundary dynamic conditions, but also possibly affected by dynamic factors of global tectonics at a higher level.