Paleobotany of Wisconsinan interstadials, eastern Great Lakes region, North America

This study concerns the pollen and plant macrofossils from Mid-Wisconsinan Interstadial sites within the Wisconsinan ice margin in eastern North America. The time period covered is from about 55,000 years BP to 22,500 years BP, an interval much longer than the postglacial. Sediments examined are principally those of large lakes deposited in the Erie and Ontario basins during intervals of ice retreat.The Port Talbot I Interval (from about 55,000 to 50,000 years BP) in the Erie basin is characterized by pollen assemblages alternating from Pinus-dominated zones to ones with abundant Pinus, Quercus, and nonarboreal pollen. These assemblages are interpreted as indicating relatively warm and dry conditions. Mean July temperatures fluctuated between 15 and 21°C.During the succeeding Port Talbot II Interval and Plum Point Interstadial, in both the Erie and Ontario basins, pollen assemblages are characterized by dominant Pinus and Picea. Characteristic macrofossils include needles of the boreal Picea and Larix and leaves of species with a more northerly distribution, such as Dryas integrifolia, Betula glandulosa var. glandulosa, Vaccinium uliginosum var. alpinum, and Salix herbacea. These fossil assemblages are interpreted as indicating cooler and moister conditions in a forest-tundra environment. Mean July temperatures fluctuated between 10 and 15°C during the Port Talbot II Interval and Plum Point Interstadial.     

Sedimentation in Lake Biel,an eutrophic,hard-water lake in northwestern Switzerland

A 2-year study of sedimentation in Lake Biel reveals that three major factors can account for the spatial and temporal patterns of tripton sedimentation. Allochthonous inputs of particulate matter mostly derived from the Aare river during spring snowmelt and other high-water periods, provide about 50% of the carbonate and 50% of the siliceous matter collected in sediment traps. Phytoplankton activity in this eutrophic, hard-water lake accounts for the rest of the carbonate and siliceous matter, the latter being mostly diatom frustules. Sedimentation rates are thus highest during periods of maximum river flooding, maximum phytoplankton activity and following the breakdown of the thermocline, at which time trapped particles settle out. Resuspension of sediment is important in at least one basin. Resolution of carbonate appears to be minor.     

激光探测能见度的实验研究

利用红宝石激光雷达初步实验对比表明,利用激光雷达可以定量求得各种能见度下的水平能见度值,只是在低能见度情况要采取适当的技术和分析方法。用激光探测目前飞机临界着陆能见度也是可能的,但在更低能见度下大气多次散射起着重要作用,给利用激光探测斜视能见度带来局限。     

On steep isogradic surfaces in the Simplon area

The Simplon tunnel (19.7 km long) in the Central Alps crosses, at an altitude of 640–700 m, a mountain chain that culminates in Monte Leone (3 553 m). Along the tunnel axis the metamorphic grade of Mesozoic sediments, recrystallized during the Lepontine phase of the Alpine orogenesis, increases from NW to SE. Investigations on rock samples from the tunnel and from surface exposures give information in three dimensions on conditions during the culmination of Alpine regional metamorphism in the Simplon group. The succession of isograds from km 3 from the NW entrance of the tunnel in SE direction is: First occurrence of biotite, of garnet, last occurrence of albite in paragenesis with calcite, entry of feldspars of the peristerite gap and of oligoclase alone in calc-schists, marbles and amphibolites, coming in of plagioclase An > 30 associated with calcite, first occurrence of staurolite and kyanite, entry of tremolite and calcite, occurrence of plagioclase An >50 in calcschists. Correlation of the data from tunnel and surface samples shows that, in the northwestern and central part of the section, the isogradic surfaces are steeply inclined to the NW, the average dip is 60–75°, with uncertainty between 55 and 90°. In the southeastern part of the section the isogradic surfaces are overturned and dip to the E. No observations indicate gently inclined isogradic surfaces. Geological evidence excludes postmetamorphic tilting of originally subhorizontal isogradic surfaces in such a scale. It is assumed that, during the Lepontine phase, the isobaric surfaces have been subhorizontal, but that the isotherms (which roughly correspond to isograds) have formed angles greater than 45° with isobars. During the culmination of metamorphism vertical and lateral temperature gradients differed considerably from place to place in the Simplon area, and gradually changed also in one and the same direction. The Simplon area is situated near the western edge of the high-grade metamorphic zones of the Ticino complex. The metamorphic conditions described are believed to have been strongly influenced by the eastern adjacent vast thermal bulge of the Central Alps. Thus, not only in Val Bregaglia, with its quite different geological environment, at the E end of the highgrade zone and of the same thermal antiform, but also in the Simplon area in the W, isogradic surfaces are steeply inclined.     

Zeitgebundene Erzlagerstätten

Proceeding from the observation that in the Early Paleozoic there is a time-bound, world-wide distributed ore deposit type with scheelite in volcanic-sedimentary series, the question concerning a systematic development of ore deposits connected with an evolution of the earth's crust and mantle is discussed. A schematic model of this development is constructed, which, beginning with a still thin, primeval crust, by way of time-bound stages as for instance greenstone belts and mobile zones, receiving abundant material introduction from juvenile volcanism accompanied with corresponding time-bound ores, leads to the “Assynthic” revolution, giving rise to a crust which is essentially dependent on selfsupport by sedimentary reworking and palingenic magmatism. During the initial “juvenile” period as well as during the palingenic there is significant participation of sedimentary processes, in dependence upon time-bound evolution of the atmosphere and biosphere, for material transport, redeposition and renewed concentration. During the “palingenic” stage the crust is only episodically supplied with mantle material along world-wide volcanic, tectonic lineaments, whereby new ore types, for example the scheelite ores of the Early Paleozoic or the copper-molybdenum ores at the Mesozoic-Cenozoic transition, experience their time-bound formation.     

Pleistocene climatic change in Southern Australia and its effect on speleothem deposition in some Nullarbor caves

Activity ratios of ²³⁴U/²³⁸U, ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U, and ²³⁰Th/²³²Th have been determined for calcite, gypsum and halite speleothems from caves of the Nullarbor Plain, mostly in the area N and NW of Mundrabilla Station, for the purpose of U-series dating. All calcite speleothems contain adequate amounts of uranium for dating, but some show an excess of ²³⁰Th. Stratigraphic relationships indicate that there were at least three phases of calcium carbonate deposition in the Nullarbor caves. The calcite samples, with one possible exception, have ages in excess of ca. 400000 yrs BP. This suggests that no significant amounts of calcium carbonate deposition have taken place during the last 400ka. At present, active deposition of speleothems is restricted almost entirely to gypsum and halite. The only gypsum speleothem dated was found to have a finite age of ca. 185 ka. Six dates on a small halite speleothem containing insect and arachnid remains indicate that it formed rapidly during Holocene time.     

不同窗口下中值滤波与加权滤波方法效果分析

为了探究中值滤波与加权滤波方法对测深数据粗差的处理效果,该文以单波束测深数据为例,对中值滤波和加权滤波在不同大小滤波窗口的测深数据处理效果进行对比分析.实验结果表明,中值滤波不论在地形起伏变化较快的区域,还是在少量、断点不连续的区域以及大量、断点连续的区域,均具有较好的滤波效果,且在5窗口时效果最佳;而加权滤波在地形起伏变化较快的区域以及少量、断点不连续的区域处理效果明显,且在3窗口时效果最佳,但中值滤波效果更优,而在大量、断点连续的区域加权滤波效果明显较差,建议优先考虑中值滤波方法.     

2015年4月大气环流和天气分析

2015年4月环流特征如下：极涡为偶极型环流,极涡主体位于格陵兰西侧与加拿大之间,另一中心位于亚洲的东北部;两个极涡中心较常年平均偏低4~8 dagpm,乌拉尔山高压脊偏高8~12 dagpm;副热带高压面积偏大、西脊点偏西,南支槽位置与强度接近常年平均;4月全国平均气温11.6℃,较常年同期（11℃）偏高0.6℃;全国平均降水量43 mm,接近常年同期（44.7 mm）,我国中东部长江以北地区降水偏多,江南、华南降水偏少。4月全国强对流天气过程频发,1—4、19—20和28—29日出现了范围较大的强对流天气。北方地区出现2次沙尘天气。     

Bounce Rock—A shergottite‐like basalt encountered at Meridiani Planum,Mars

Abstract– The Opportunity rover of the Mars Exploration Rover mission encountered an isolated rock fragment with textural, mineralogical, and chemical properties similar to basaltic shergottites. This finding was confirmed by all rover instruments, and a comprehensive study of these results is reported here. Spectra from the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and the Panoramic Camera reveal a pyroxene‐rich mineralogy, which is also evident in Mössbauer spectra and in normative mineralogy derived from bulk chemistry measured by the alpha particle X‐ray spectrometer. The correspondence of Bounce Rock’s chemical composition with the composition of certain basaltic shergottites, especially Elephant Moraine (EET) 79001 lithology B and Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94201, is very close, with only Cl, Fe, and Ti exhibiting deviations. Chemical analyses further demonstrate characteristics typical of Mars such as the Fe/Mn ratio and P concentrations. Possible shock features support the idea that Bounce Rock was ejected from an impact crater, most likely in the Meridiani Planum region. Bopolu crater, 19.3 km in diameter, located 75 km to the southwest could be the source crater. To date, no other rocks of this composition have been encountered by any of the rovers on Mars. The finding of Bounce Rock by the Opportunity rover provides further direct evidence for an origin of basaltic shergottite meteorites from Mars.