Biostratigraphic and detrital zircon age constraints on the basement of the Himalayan Foreland Basin: Implications for a Proterozoic link to the Lesser Himalaya and cratonic India

The Himalayan Foreland Basin in the Ganga Valley is key to assessing the pre‐collision relationship between cratonic India and the Himalaya – the world's largest mountain chain. The subsurface Ganga Supergroup, representing the sedimentary basement of the Ganga Valley, has been interpreted as a northern extension of the Proterozoic Vindhyan Supergroup in cratonic India. This interpretation is contentious because the depositional age of the Ganga Supergroup is not resolved: whereas the lower Ganga Supergroup is widely regarded as Proterozoic, the upper Ganga Supergroup has been variously inferred to include Neoproterozoic, lower Palaeozoic, or Cretaceous strata. Here, we integrate biostratigraphic and detrital zircon data from drill cores to show that the entire Ganga Supergroup is likely Proterozoic and can be correlated with Proterozoic successions on the northern Indian craton and in the Lesser Himalaya. This helps redefine the first‐order stratigraphic architecture and indicates broad depositional continuity along the northern Indian margin during the Proterozoic.     

Composition and flux of suspended organic matter in the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) — impact of the Three Gorges Dam and the role of tributaries and channel erosion

To investigate the sources of particulate organic matter (POM) and the impact of Three Gorges Dam (TGD), two large lakes and erosion processes on determining the composition and flux of POM in low water discharge periods along the middle and lower Changjiang, suspended particulate samples were collected along the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) in January 2008. Organic geochemistry of bulk sediment (particulate organic carbon, organic carbon to nitrogen molar ratio (C/N), stable carbon isotope (δ¹³C) and grain size) and biomarker of bulk sediment (lignin phenols) were measured to trace the sources of POM. The range of C/N ratios (6.4–8.9), δ¹³C (?24.3‰ – ?26.2‰) and lignin phenols concentration Λ8 (0.45 mg/100 mg OC‐2.00 mg/100 mg OC) of POM suggested that POM originated from the mixture of soil, plant tissue and autochthonous organic matter (OM) during the dry season. POM from lakes contained a higher portion of terrestrial OM than the mainstream, which was related to sand mining and hydropower erosion processes. A three end‐member model based on δ¹³C and Λ8 was performed. The results indicated that soil contributed approximately 50% of OM to the POM, which is the dominant OM source in most stations. POM composition was affected by total suspended matter (TSM) and grain size composition, and the direct OM input from two lakes and channel erosion induced OM. The lower TSM concentration in January 2008 was mainly caused by seasonal variations; the impact from the TGD in the dry season was relatively small. A box model indicated that more than 90% of the terrestrial OM transported by the Changjiang in January 2008 was from the middle and lower drainage basins. Channel erosion induced OM, and contributions from Poyang Lake were the major terrestrial OM sources in the dry season. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

网络大数据下的中国现代食甜习惯空间分布特征及其影响因素研究

饮食地理文化作为地域文化中最具地方特色的重要元素,在现代人口大规模流动背景下呈现出全新的多样化局面,而基于传统认知的“南甜北咸”的地域分异已然不能代表中国现代食甜分布的空间特征。因此,本文采用网络爬虫技术,获取我国大陆31个省会城市共计约2000万条美食消费数据,从传统类菜品、主食类菜品、饮料类和甜品类菜品4个方面计算城市食甜度,在ArcGIS、MySQL软件支持下,借助GIS空间分析和数理统计方法探究我国现代食甜习惯的空间分布特征,分析影响食甜分布的因素。研究发现：① 中国食甜在空间分布上存在显著的地域分异特征,聚类分析评价参数R ²高达0.88,现代食甜习惯总体呈现“东高北中,西微内低”的包围式格局;② 从整体抑或局部角度,在1%显著性水平上莫兰指数均为正,中国食甜分布呈现显著的空间正相关关系,形成特色鲜明的3个地理集聚区,即以苏浙沪闽为主的东南沿海高甜集聚区,以渝黔川为主的西南内陆低甜集聚区和以陕宁为主的西北内陆低甜集聚区;③ 构建了中国现代食甜习惯分布影响因素模型,其拟合精度为0.82,分析结果显示降水、湿度、气温等气象要素及地理位置是影响现代我国食甜空间分布的重要因素。     

A two‐dimensional coupled hydromechanical discontinuum model for simulating rock hydraulic fracturing

Within the framework of our discontinuous deformation analysis for rock failure algorithm, this paper presents a two‐dimensional coupled hydromechanical discontinuum model for simulating the rock hydraulic fracturing process. In the proposed approach, based on the generated joint network, the calculation of fluid mechanics is performed first to obtain the seepage pressure near the tips of existing cracks, and then the fluid pressure is treated as linearly distributed loads on corresponding block boundaries. The contribution of the hydraulic pressure to the initiation/propagation of the cracks is considered by adding the components of these blocks into the force matrix of the global equilibrium equation. Finally, failure criteria are applied at the crack tips to determine the occurrence of cracking events. Several verification examples are simulated, and the results show that this newly proposed numerical model can simulate the hydraulic fracturing process correctly and effectively. Although the numerical and experimental verifications focus on one unique preexisting crack, because of the capability of discontinuous deformation analysis in simulating block‐like structures, the proposed approach is capable of modeling rock hydraulic fracturing processes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological cycle and water balance estimates for the megadune–lake region of the Badain Jaran Desert,China

The hydrology and water balance of megadunes and lakes have been investigated in the Badain Jaran Desert of China. Field observations and analyses of sand layer water content, field capacity, secondary salt content, and grain size reveal 3 types of important natural phenomenon: (a) vegetation bands on the leeward slope of the megadunes reflect the hydrological regime within the sandy vadose zone; (b) seepage, wet sand deposits, and secondary salt deposits indicate the pattern of water movement within the sandy vadose zone; (c) zones of groundwater seeps and descending springs around the lakes reflect the influence of the local topography on the hydrological regime of the megadunes. The seepage exposed on the sloping surface of the megadunes and gravity water contained within the sand layer confirm the occurrence of preferential flow within the vadose zone of the megadunes. Alternating layers of coarse and fine sand create the conditions for the formation of preferential flows. The preferential flows promote movement of water within the sand layer water that leads to deep penetration of water within the megadunes and ultimately to the recharging of groundwater and lake water. Our results indicate that a positive water balance promotes recharge of the megadunes, which depends on the high permeability of the megadune material, the shallow depth of the surface sand layer affected by evaporation, the occurrence of rainfall events exceeding 15 mm, and the sparse vegetation cover. Water balance estimates indicate that the annual water storage of the megadunes is about 7.5 mm, accounting for only 8% of annual precipitation; however, the shallow groundwater per unit area under the megadunes receives only 3.6% of annual precipitation, but it is still able to maintain a dynamic balance of the lake water. From a water budget perspective, the annual water storage in the megadunes is sufficient to serve as a recharge source for lake water, thereby enabling the long‐term persistence of the lakes. Overall, our findings demonstrate that precipitation is a significant component of the hydrological cycle in arid deserts.     

雅安芦山4.20震后县级单元生态系统风险评价

区域生态风险评价是对各种生态风险及环境问题进行评价和管理的重要手段。针对雅安地震灾区特殊的自然地理及生态环境特征,选取芦山县为研究对象,采用遥感、GIS及SPSS统计分析的方法,通过风险源、风险受体、暴露和易损性分析,建立生态风险综合评价模型,划分生态风险区类型,进而提出生态风险管理对策。结果表明:1)微度和低度生态风险区集中分布在高海拔的森林及草地生态系统,该区生物多样性丰富,抗干扰能力较强,地质灾害及人类活动影响较小;2)中度和高度生态风险区具有沿农田及建设用地生态系统集聚分布的特征,该区地质灾害频繁,地壳活动性较强,生态系统抵抗灾害的能力较差。研究结果可为地震灾区防御、规避风险及安全选址提供科学依据。     

Satellite evidence for no change in terrestrial latent heat flux in the Three-River Headwaters region of China over the past three decades

Terrestrial latent heat flux (LE) in the Three-River Headwaters region (TRHR) of China plays an essential role in quantifying the amount of water evaporation and carbon sink over the high altitude Tibetan Plateau (TP). Global warming is expected to accelerate terrestrial hydrological cycle and to increase evaporation. However, direct field observations are lacking in this region and the long-term variability in LE remains uncertain. In this study, we have revised a semi-empirical Penman LE algorithm based on ground eddy covariance (EC) observations from an alpine grass site and provided new satellite-based evidence to assess LE change in the TRHR during 1982–2010. Our results show that the average annual terrestrial LE in the TRHR is about 38.8 W/m ² and there is no statistically significant change in annual LE from 1982 to 2010. We also found that during the same time period, terrestrial LE over the east region of the TRHR significantly decreased, on average, by 0.7 W/m ² per decade, which was driven primarily by the surface incident solar radiation (R_s) limitation, offsetting the increased LE over the west region of the TRHR caused by the increased precipitation (P) and soil moisture (SM).     

近年我国十大重要金属矿种找矿重大进展与成果

近年我国重要矿产资源勘查成果不断快速涌现。为服务矿产勘查进展长期动态跟踪与成果集成研究,2010~2014年,笔者依托原中国地质调查局发展研究中心承担的《重点成矿区带矿产勘查跟踪与成果集成》、《全国地质勘查进展分析》等项目,以铁、铜、铝、铅锌、金、钨、锡、钼、镍、锰等十大重要金属矿产勘查进展为主要研究对象,研究分析了勘查成果特征。