The effect of cracks on the thermal expansion of rocks

Thermal expansion during the first heating cycle at atmospheric pressure was measured in several directions in seven igneous rocks between 25° and 400°C at slow heating rates. The coefficient of thermal expansion measured under these conditions increases more rapidly as temperature is increased than the average thermal expansion coefficient of the constituent minerals. The “extra” expansion is attributed to the formation of cracks by differential expansion of mineral grains. The presence of such cracks in the rocks during the cooling part of the cycle and during any subsequent heating and cooling cycles will result in a substantial decrease in the coefficient of thermal expansion as compared to that measured during the first heating cycles. The effect of cracks initially present in a rock was studied by measuring the full tensor of the coefficient of thermal expansion on two rocks with anisotropic crack distributions. In these two rocks the coefficient of thermal expansion is least in the direction perpendicular to the plane of greatest crack concentration. The implication of our data is that thermal expansion depends greatly on the fracture state of the rock. Both the fractures in the rock and the boundary conditions on the rock are significant for the interpretation of thermal expansion measurements and for their application to other problems.     

Invariant manifolds, phase correlations of chaotic orbits and the spiral structure of galaxies

In the presence of a strong   m = 2  component in a rotating galaxy, the phase-space structure near corotation is shaped to a large extent by the invariant manifolds of the short-period family of unstable periodic orbits terminating at L ₁ or L ₂. The main effect of these manifolds is to create robust phase correlations among a number of chaotic orbits large enough to support a spiral density wave outside corotation. The phenomenon is described theoretically by soliton-like solutions of a Sine–Gordon equation. Numerical examples are given in an N -body simulation of a barred spiral galaxy. In these examples, we demonstrate how the projection of unstable manifolds in configuration space reproduces essentially the entire observed bar–spiral pattern.     

东昆仑东段三叠纪岩浆岩Nd–Hf同位素组分特征、物源演变规律及其构造背景

作为中央造山系西段的重要组成部分,东昆仑造山带以大面积区域性展布的三叠纪岩浆岩为鲜明特色。依据收集的东昆仑东段三叠纪岩浆岩96件锆石U–Pb年代学数据,限定三叠纪岩浆作用时间为252～212 Ma。结合岩石组合,将其进一步划分为早（252～238 Ma）、中（238～226 Ma）、晚（226～212 Ma）3期,其中岩浆活动峰值为早期（252～238 Ma）。Nd同位素数据（106件）统计结果表明：东昆仑东段三叠纪岩浆岩εNd(t)值为–9.4～–1.7,大多为–6.5～–3.0;Nd模式年龄TDM(Nd)为0.72～1.88 Ga,大多为1.00～1.80 Ga。Hf同位素数据（全岩、锆石;41件）统计结果表明：东昆仑东段三叠纪岩浆岩εHf(t)值变化较大（–8.4～+12.4）,主要为–4.5～+2.0;地壳模式年龄TDMC(Hf)值为0.49～ 1.80 Ga,大多为1.15～1.55 Ga。整体而言,三叠纪岩浆岩物源以中元古代壳源物质的再造为主,新生地壳（＜1.0 Ga）和古元古代地壳有所参与,但比例小。从岩浆活动早期（252～238 Ma）到中期（238～226 Ma）再到晚期（226～212 Ma）,εNd(t)值在岩浆活动早期（特别是在早三叠世）较高,正的εHf(t)值占据很大比例,物源中存在较多的新生物质;中期以较低的εNd(t)值和负的εHf(t)值为主,Hf模式年龄显示出现古元古代物质;晚期Nd–Hf模式年龄揭示较古老的壳源组分增多。这种岩浆岩物源演变趋势,与东昆仑东段三叠纪具俯冲到同碰撞再到碰撞后的构造演化背景一致。     

京津冀夏季强降水下冰云宏微观特征

根据Aqua MODIS 2级云产品和Cloudsat的2级产品资料,结合降水数据和MODIS L1B级辐射率数据,对发生在京津冀地区夏季的三次强降水过程中冰云的宏微观物理量的特征进行分析,并探究这些物理量和降水强度的关系。结果表明：在水平分布中,强降水过程中降水强度高值区内云相为冰云,冰云云顶高度在8~17 km,冰云粒子有效半径、冰云光学厚度、冰水路径分别最高可达60 μm、 150、 5 000 g?m^-2;冰云光学厚度、冰水路径、冰云云顶高度随降水强度增大而增大。在垂直分布中,冰云主要分布在3.5 km以上,发生强降水站点的冰云为深对流云,冰云粒子有效半径、冰水含量、冰云粒子数浓度分别最高可达150 μm、 3 000 mg?m^-3 、 500 L^-1;冰云粒子有效半径高值区存在于云层中下部,且随高度上升而减小,冰云粒子数浓度高值区存在于云层中上部,且随高度上升而增加,冰水含量高值区则存在于云层中部;冰云粒子有效半径、冰水含量、冰云粒子数浓度在9 km以上随降水强度增大而增大。     

新疆北部友谊峰一带喀纳斯群碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄及其对阿尔泰造山带构造演化的启示

新疆北部阿尔泰山西段友谊峰一带发育的喀纳斯群碎屑沉积岩中保留了大量的古陆缘演化及沉积、变质等地质信息。采集了2个层位的碎屑锆石进行同位素年龄研究, 结果显示:2套碎屑岩的锆石U-Pb年龄分布特征相近, 最年轻的岩浆锆石年龄分别为546±4 Ma和545±4 Ma, 代表了沉积时代的下限;较老的锆石年龄可分为太古宙的3063±16 Ma、2548±18 Ma和2541±18 Ma, 古—中元古代的2223~1463 Ma, 新元古代的985~781 Ma, 据此推断, 沉积物源存在前寒武纪结晶基底;较新的锆石变质年龄为421~429 Ma, 与阿尔泰地区强烈的岩浆活动时间相近, 可能与地层遭受后期的热液变质事件有关。结合地质构造演化, 表明新疆北部地区大致经历了太古宙陆核形成阶段、Columbia超大陆形成和演化阶段、Rodinia超大陆汇聚和裂解阶段、震旦纪—寒武纪复理石沉积阶段, 以及加里东期剧烈岩浆活动阶段。     

An anomalous high-velocity layer at shallow crustal depths in the Narmada zone, India

The Narmada zone in central India is a zone of weakness that separates the region of Vindhyan (Meso-Neoproterozoic) deposition to the north from Gondwana (Permo-Carboniferous–lower Cretaceous) deposits to the south. The reinterpretation of analogue seismic refraction data, acquired during the early 1980s, using 2-D ray-tracing techniques reveals a basement (velocity 5.8–6.0 km s⁻¹ ) topography suggesting that the Narmada zone, bounded by the Narmada North and Narmada South faults is a region of basement uplift. A layer of anomalously high velocity (6.5–6.7 km s⁻¹ ) at depths between 1.5 and 9.0 km appears to be present in the entire region. Within the Narmada zone this layer occurs at shallower depths than outside the Narmada zone. At two places within the Narmada zone this layer is at a depth of about 1.5 km. This layer cannot be considered as the top of the lower crust because in this case it should have produced large positive gravity anomalies at the shallowest parts. Instead, these parts correspond to Bouguer gravity lows. Furthermore, lower crust at such shallow depths has not been reported from any other part of the Indian shield. Therefore, this layer is likely to represent the top of a high-velocity mafic body that has different thicknesses in different places.     

福建省水生态足迹时空分异

利用改进的生态足迹模型,分析福建省2005—2011年的水生态足迹时空分异,得出几点结论：1）福建省水生态处于盈余状态,但人均水生态足迹增加;2）2011年福建省万元GDP水生态足迹为0.255 1 hm^2/万元,与2005年0.708 7 hm^2/万元对比,产出效率提高了64.00%。3）建议通过生态优势与经济优势相互转化、调整产业结构、提倡绿色消费实现可持续发展。     

Vitellogenin-associated maternal transfer of exogenous and endogenous ligands in the estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus

Sequestration of large quantities of vitellogenin (VTG) is critical for proper oocyte development in most oviparous vertebrates. While previous studies have shown a general correlation between oocyte growth and the accumulation of various exogenous and endogenous ligands, few studies have attempted to elucidate the role VTG plays in this maternal transfer. In the present study, we have demonstrated that oocytic accumulation of [³H]-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (³H-TCDD) and [¹⁴C]-benzo(a)pyrene (¹⁴C-BaP) by gravid Fundulus heteroclitus is directly correlated with oocyte maturational status. A positive correlation was observed between oocyte maturational state (size) and both total quantity (total pmoles) as well as concentration (pmoles/g tissue) of TCDD and BaP. Further, the bi-phasic accumulation of both TCDD and BaP mirrors that previously observed for protein sequestration by cultured Fundulus oocytes. Additionally, both TCDD and BaP were associated with VTG in vivo. HPLC analysis of serum extracts has shown that VTG associates with both parent BaP and BaP metabolites. Studies with ¹²⁵I-T₄ (thyroxine) also suggest that this critical hormone also associates with VTG in vivo. Ongoing studies are examining the VTG-associated transport and oocytic sequestration of ¹²⁵I-T₄ in gravid Fundulus.     

Geochronology of anthropogenic pollutants in riparian wetland sediments of the Lippe River (Germany)

Anthropogenic pollutants were determined in a dated sediment core, collected from a riparian wetland of the Lippe River (Ruhr district, Germany). The historical trend in heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorines, polychlorinated biphenyls and linear alkylbenzenes as well as more recent contaminants such as industrial additives, organotins, synthetic musks, methyltriclosan and some other compounds were determined for the time period between 1930 and 1986. Emission sources, information on technical production and usage, as well as on the individual pollution pathways, with appropriate environmental stability, were considered in the interpretation of the sediment contamination over the past 50 years.Contaminants were analysed and interpreted according to two different criteria: (a) the origin of the main contaminants as related to mining and industrial activities as well as municipal sewage and agricultural effluents and (b) the pollution history. Due to a significant appearance of formerly missing contaminants in sediments deposited since 1970, we suggest classifying contaminants as either common (predating 1970) or modern (postdating 1970).In summary, the study provided a comprehensive reconstruction of the pollution history of the Lippe River system.