青藏高原第四纪冰川的宇宙核素暴露年龄首次测定

青藏高原在第四纪时期究竟发育了几次冰期及时代研究深受国内外地球科学家关注,然而,老冰碛物的年代测定问题一直未突破。近年来发展成熟的就地成因宇宙核素(10Be,26Al)及宇宙气体(21Ne)的表面暴露年龄测定方法为冰碛物测年提供了条件。我们对青藏高原东部及腹地的第四纪冰川漂砾进行了核素年龄测试研究,并初步讨论了高原第四纪冰川发育及古环境变迁。      

澳大利亚的第三纪及第三纪—第四纪过渡期(英文)

第三纪的板块运动驱动着澳大利亚的气候和植被进行演化。广布的湿润森林区是澳大利亚老第三纪的特征。一直到始新世 ,生物多样性都在不断地提高。毫无疑问 ,这是澳大利亚由高南纬区向北部中纬区运移的结果。从始新世到上新世 ,澳大利亚的气候总体上要比现在湿润 ,但降水量季节性变化的增强推动了中新世以后硬叶植物和旱生植物的发展。上新世晚期似乎与第四纪一样 ,都出现过周期性干旱。这种干旱与冰期条件有关 ,至少由南澳大利亚晚第四纪的记录可以认识到这一点 ,澳大利亚的这段历史与东亚的气候变迁是同步发生的。在东亚 ,印—澳板块的运动致使青藏高原抬升 ,从而引发了区内乃至全球气候的巨变。穿越赤道区的季风和信风的环流格局 ,致使新第三纪和第四纪中国与澳大利亚的气候系统的相关性更强。     

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华岛纳奈莫群的帆翼龙类化石

An unusual jaw found in a calcite nodule from Collishaw Point, Hornby Island, British Columbia (off the east coast of Vancouver Island) represents the first definitive pterosaur found in British Columbia, and the first istiodactylid from Canada.     

Evaluation of acetylcholinesterase activity in several zooplanktonic crustaceans

Zooplankton are an essential component of the marine and estuarine food chains. The ecotoxicological risk to zooplanktonic communities, estimated through the use of the biomarkers, can be used as an early warning signal of a potential alteration of the ecosystem health. The aim of this project was to evaluate the potential use of several biomarkers (esterases, mixed function oxidases, porphyrins) in zooplanktonic organisms. The acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was determined in homogenates of whole organisms of 10 different zooplanktonic crustaceans. Mean activity of AChE was 10.05 micromol/min/g for Acartia margalefi; 3.30 for Acartia latisetosa; 79.70 for Siriella clausi; 49.97 for Diamysis bahirensis; 7.48 for Siriella armata; 14.20 for Mysidopsis gibbosa; 4.49 for Euphausia crystallorophias; 1.66 for Euphausia superba; 2.74 for Streetsia challengeri; 13.26 for Meganycthiphanes norvegica. The species moreover showed a linear increase in enzyme activity in relation to the increase in sample concentration. The key result of this study concerns the different AChE activity basal values of the crustaceans' different species.     

Enzymatic activity in the rhizosphere of Spartina maritima: potential contribution for phytoremediation of metals

Extracellular enzymatic activity (EEA) of five enzymes (peroxidase, phenol oxidase, beta-glucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) was analysed in sediments colonised by Spartina maritima in two salt marshes (Rosário and Pancas) of the Tagus estuary (Portugal) with different characteristics such as sediment parameters and metal contaminant levels. Our aim was a better understanding of the influence of the halophyte on microbial activity in the rhizosphere under different site conditions, and its potential consequences for metal cycling and phytoremediation in salt marshes. Acid phosphatase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase presented significantly higher EEA in Rosário than in Pancas, whereas the opposite occurred for peroxidase. This was mainly attributed to differences in organic matter between the two sites. A positive correlation between root biomass and EEA of hydrolases (beta-glucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) was found, indicating a possible influence of the halophyte in sediment microbial function. This would potentially affect metal cycling in the rhizosphere through microbial reactions.     

Membership List for the year 1922

Those who have followed the historical development of the systematicclassification of the old Palaeozoic rocks in Europe would undoubtedly wellremember how the Ordovician became recognized as a well-defined,independ-     

深反射地震揭示喜马拉雅地区地壳上地幔的复杂结构

报告了中、美两国在喜马拉雅山区进行的第一次深反射地震试验的结果．试验剖面南起喜马拉雅山山脊南亚东县的帕里镇,向北穿过喜马拉雅山脊的荡拉,到达康马南的萨马达．剖面长约１００ｋｍ．共中心点（ＣＭＰ）叠加剖面上显示出：１．在地壳中部有一强反射带,向北缓倾斜下去,延长达１００ｋｍ以上．它可能代表了一个活动的逆冲断裂或是一条巨大的拆离带,印度地壳整体或下地壳沿此拆离层俯冲到藏南之下．２．上部地壳的反射很丰富,显示了上地壳存在着大规模的叠瓦状结构．３．下地壳的反射同相轴呈现短而有规律的分布,显示了塑性流变特征．４．在测线南部莫霍反射明显,深度达７２－７５ｋｍ．发现南部有双莫霍层的存在．５．试验中还取得莫霍层下面３２,３８,４８ｓ等双程走时的多条反射,向北倾斜,反射同相轴延续较长,信息丰富,反映了上地幔的成层结构和变形特征．这些结果对印度大陆地壳整体或其下地壳俯冲到藏南特提斯喜马拉雅地壳之下,并导致西藏南端地壳增厚的观点,给予了实质性的支持．     

New CO and Millimeter Continuum Observations of the z = 2.394 Radio Galaxy 53W002

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.     

Could CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b be remnants of evaporated gas or ice giants?

We present thermal mass loss calculations over evolutionary time scales for the investigation if the smallest transiting rocky exoplanets CoRoT-7b (∼1.68R_Earth) and Kepler-10b (∼1.416R_Earth) could be remnants of an initially more massive hydrogen-rich gas giant or a hot Neptune-class exoplanet. We apply a thermal mass loss formula which yields results that are comparable to hydrodynamic loss models. Our approach considers the effect of the Roche lobe, realistic heating efficiencies and a radius scaling law derived from observations of hot Jupiters. We study the influence of the mean planetary density on the thermal mass loss by placing hypothetical exoplanets with the characteristics of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus to the orbital location of CoRoT-7b at 0.017 AU and Kepler-10b at 0.01684 AU and assuming that these planets orbit a K- or G-type host star. Our findings indicate that hydrogen-rich gas giants within the mass domain of Saturn or Jupiter cannot thermally lose such an amount of mass that CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b would result in a rocky residue. Moreover, our calculations show that the present time mass of both rocky exoplanets can be neither a result of evaporation of a hydrogen envelope of a “Hot Neptune” nor a “Hot Uranus”-class object. Depending on the initial density and mass, these planets most likely were always rocky planets which could lose a thin hydrogen envelope, but not cores of thermally evaporated initially much more massive and larger objects.