Woolly rhino discovery in the lower Kolyma River

A nearly complete frozen mummy of a woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis Blum., 1799) was discovered in a gold mine on the lower reaches of the Kolyma River, north–eastern Siberia. This is the first find of the whole body of woolly rhino in permafrost. A large part of the mummified body was preserved, including the left part of the body, covered by skin, including skin of the head and ear, fore and hind legs. The skull with 2 horns and the lower jaw were also preserved. Most of the internal organs were lost, except the intestines, stomach, and their contents. A rib fragment from this individual was dated by AMS-radiocarbon method to 39,140 ± 390 years BP (OxA-18755). Spore and pollen analyses of the stomach contents indicate that grasses and sagebrushes formed the main part of the diet of C. antiquitatis in this region of Arctic Siberia.     

Multi-proxy climate and environmental records from a Holocene eutrophic mire,southern taiga subzone,West Siberia

Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from peat are strongly focused on ombrotrophic mires, but this study demonstrates that eutrophic mires can also be used. A multi-proxy approach was applied to a eutrophic mire on a floodplain terrace in the southern taiga of West Siberia. The results of the reconstruction were considered in the wide geographic context of the surrounding regions, including Siberia and Central Asia. Different palaeoecological proxies (analysis of plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, oribatid mites, molluscs, peat humification, ash content and spectral characteristics of humic acids) were used in this study. The results of different proxies showed a high level of consistency among themselves, which allowed for a robust interpretation of Holocene mire development. Throughout the ~7800 years history of the mire, there was a high level of surface wetness. The presence of mineral matter in the peat between 7800 and 5100 cal. a BP indicates regular flooding caused by the intensive fluvial activity, apparently resulting from increased precipitation. This was followed by a trend towards a gradual decrease in surface wetness from conditions of high surface moisture (stagnant water) between 5100 and 3000 cal. a BP to present day conditions of moderate surface moisture with a water table slightly below the mire surface. This pattern is consistent with the well-documented long-term trend from palaeoecological records throughout the taiga and arctic zones in West Siberia and central arid Asia. Our data further support the idea that the westerlies were the dominant driver of climate for the southern taiga of West Siberia during the Middle to Late Holocene.     

Mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by sub-lithospheric convective mantle material: Transition from high- to moderate-Mg magmatism beneath Vitim Plateau,Siberia

High-Mg lavas are characteristic of the mid-Miocene volcanism in Inner Asia.In the Vitim Plateau,small volume high-Mg volcanics erupted at 16-14 Ma.and were followed with voluminous moderate-Mg lavas at 14-13 Ma.In the former unit,we have recorded a sequence of(1) initial basaltic melts,contaminated by crustal material,(2) uncontaminated high-Mg basanites and basalts of transitional(K-Na-K) compositions,and(3) picrobasalts and basalts of K series;in the latter unit a sequence of(1) initial basalts and basaltic andesites of transitional(Na-K-Na) compositions and(2) basalts and trachybasalts of K-Na series.From pressure estimation,we infer that the high-Mg melts were derived from the sublithospheric mantle as deep as 150 km,unlike the moderate-Mg melts that were produced at the shallow mantle.The 14-13 Ma rock sequence shows that initial melts equilibrated in a garnet-free mantle source with subsequently reduced degree of melting garnet-bearing material.No melting of relatively depleted lithospheric material,evidenced by mantle xenoliths,was involved in melting,however.We suggest that the studied transition from high-to moderate-Mg magmatism was due to the mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by hot sub-lithospheric mantle material from the Transbaikalian low-velocity(melting) domain that had a potential temperature as high as 1510℃.This thermal impact triggered rifting in the lithosphere of the Baikal Rift Zone.     

Proterozoic mafic magmatism in Siberian craton: An overview and implications for paleocontinental reconstruction

We present a summary of late Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic mafic magmatism in the Siberian craton, including recently published U–Pb and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dates. These new precise ages suggest that at least some of the previously published K–Ar ages of Siberian mafic bodies should be ignored. The time–space geochronological chart, or the ‘barcode’ of mafic magmatic events shows significant differences between northern and southern Siberia. Both are characterized by ∼1900–1700 Ma magmatic events, but then there was an almost 1 Ga mafic magmatic ‘pause’ in south Siberia until ∼800 Ma. Meanwhile there are indications of multiple mafic magmatic events in North Siberia (Anabar shield and Olenek uplift) between ∼1600 and 1000 Ma. A series of magmatic events probably related to the breakup of Rodinia occurred in southern Siberia after ∼800 Ma. So far, there are no indications of late Neoproterozoic mafic magmatism in North Siberia. Ca. 1000–950 Ma mafic sills were reported from Meso- to Neo-Proterozoic sedimentary successions in the Sette-Daban area on the east side of the Siberian craton, but their tectonic setting is debated. Recent Ar–Ar dates of ∼1750 Ma for NW-trending dykes in the Aldan and Anabar shields, together with similar-age NNE-trending Baikal uplift dykes in south-eastern Siberia suggest the existence of a giant radial dyke swarm possibly related to a mantle plume centred in the Vilyui River area.     

Late Jurassic (Tithonian) radiolarians from a clastic unit of the Khabarovsk complex (Russian Far East): Significance for subduction accretion timing and terrane correlation

A well-preserved radiolarian fauna from a clastic unit of the Khabarovsk accretionary complex (southern part of the Badzhal accretionary wedge terrane in the Russian Far East) is assigned to the basal part of the Pseudodictyomitra carpatica zone. The age of the fauna is most likely late Tithonian. This is the first reliable dating of the clastic unit and makes it possible to constrain the timing of subduction accretion in the Badzhal terrane. The Khabarovsk complex is correlated chronologically with the Bikin and Samarka terranes (Russian Far East), Mino, Southern Chichibu and North Kitakami terranes (Japan), and Nadanhada terrane (northeast China).     

H2O and CO2 in kimberlitic fluid as recorded by diamonds and olivines in several Ekati Diamond Mine kimberlites,Northwest Territories,Canada

Surface dissolution features on diamonds and Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR) of phenocrystal and xenocrystal olivines from kimberlites contain a record of magmatic fluid in kimberlite magmas. We investigated composition and behavior of kimberlitic fluid and the effect of volatiles on the eruption style and geology of kimberlites using microdiamonds and olivine concentrates from six kimberlite pipes with different lithologies and the character of diamond resorption (Ekati Diamond Mine, Northwest Territories, Canada). The study showed a clear correlation between the resorption style of diamond population of the kimberlites and the type of infrared (IR) spectra of their olivines. Four kimberlites have high quality diamonds with smooth regular surface features and high H₂O content of the olivines indicating the presence of H₂O-rich fluid during the emplacement. Fast ascent rates of fluid-rich magma can explain explosive eruption and filling the pipes with volcaniclastic kimberlite facies. Conversely, Grizzly and Leslie kimberlites have diamonds with complex sharp features diminishing diamond quality and indicating loss of the fluid. The slower ascent rates and less explosive eruption of the fluid-free magmas produced kimberlite pipes filled with magmatic facies kimberlite. Distinctive peaks in olivine IR spectra at 3356 and 3327 cm^? 1 were found to correlate with the presence of hydrous magmatic fluid. Character of diamond morphology suggests that during the whole ascent of all six kimberlites, the magmatic fluid when present had a high H₂O:CO₂ ratio.     

Annual report of IGCP Project No.440 in 2003 Rodinia assembly and breakup

With the latest information on geology, isotop chronology, geochemistry and aerial geophysics, the structural enviroment, geological event characterists and evolution history of component units of Rodinia Supercontinent on a global scale are discussed. And some neo views and genetic pattern are provided. The East Eurppean Craton had a complex evolution history between 1.7 and 0.9 Ga. The arthors propose a new reconstruction of Laurentia acient land and Siberia at ca. 1 050-1 000 Ma. The largest litho-structural record of the Meso-Neoproterozoic orogenic collage in South America made up the western border of the South American Platform African Cratons are the result of convergence of Paleoproterozoic/Archaem Cratonic blocks. A part of Eastern Antarctica attached to southern Africa in Mesoproterozoic.Neoproterozoic felsic magmatic events in New India made the western border of Rodinia Pre-Grevoillian Laurentia was established as a major continental block by the end of the Paleoproterozoic. South China is geologically plausible to be between southern Laurentia and eastern Australia. Yangzi-Tarim connection or neighborhood is proposed. According to the abovementionded, the assembly and breakup paattem of Rodinia proposed by Pisarevsky is tested. It telles that primary break up is along the western border of Laurentia ancient land, which is similar to northern Atlantic. Another characteristic is that some continents are not considered as component parts of Rodinia, eg. India, Congo and San-Francisco.     

The 2010 European Venus Explorer (EVE) mission proposal

The European Venus Explorer (EVE) mission described in this paper was proposed in December 2010 to ESA as an ‘M-class’ mission under the Cosmic Vision programme. It consists of a single balloon platform floating in the middle of the main convective cloud layer of Venus at an altitude of 55?km, where temperatures and pressures are benign (～25°C and ～0.5 bar). The balloon float lifetime would be at least 10 Earth days, long enough to guarantee at least one full circumnavigation of the planet. This offers an ideal platform for the two main science goals of the mission: study of the current climate through detailed characterization of cloud-level atmosphere, and investigation of the formation and evolution of Venus, through careful measurement of noble gas isotopic abundances. These investigations would provide key data for comparative planetology of terrestrial planets in our solar system and beyond.     

Brane cosmology from observational surveys and its comparison with standard FRW cosmology

Several simple dark energy models on the brane are investigated. They are compared with corresponding models in the frame of 4d Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology. For constraining the parameters of the models considered, recent observational data, including SNIa apparent magnitude measurements, baryon acoustic oscillation results, Hubble parameter evolution data and matter density perturbations are used. Also, explicit formulas of the so-called state-finder parameters in teleparallel theories are found that could be useful to test these models and compare Loop Quantum Cosmology and Brane Cosmology. The conclusion is reached that a joint analysis as the one developed here allows to estimate, in a very clear way, possible deviation of our cosmology from the standard Friedmann-Robertson-Walker one.