Late Quaternary palaeosols in the Yangtze Delta, China, and their palaeoenvironmental implications

The stiff clays beneath Holocene strata in the Yangtze Delta are interpreted as palaeosols, based on pedogenic features including illuvial argillans, voids, cracks, iron–manganese concretions and nodules, and carbonate materials. Variations in clay content with depth, the occurrence of foraminifera, and the environmental magnetism characteristics of the palaeosols suggest that their parent materials are floodplain deposits. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) parameters of the sediments correlate well both with sedimentary dynamics and depositional processes in different sedimentary environments, and AMS analysis may be a useful tool for inferring sedimentary environments. Based on their considerable thickness (> 3.0 m), vertical changes of palaeosol maturity, and occurrence of ageing argillans throughout the palaeosols, the palaeosols are inferred to be compound ones (pedocomplexes) resulting from alternating deposition and pedogenesis on the palaeointerfluve of the Yangtze River. Phytoliths in the palaeosols indicate that climates turned generally from warm and wet to cold and dry with marked fluctuations during development of the palaeosols. This suggests that the palaeosols developed mainly during the marine regression prior to the last glacial maximum. The vertical distribution of manganese materials (e.g., concretions, nodules, speckles and mottles) in the palaeosols suggests that the groundwater tables were about 2.0–3.0 m beneath the upper boundary of the palaeosols during their development. Yellow–brown streaks and speckles are abundant from the middle to lower parts of the palaeosols, and layers with high CaCO₃ content occur in the strata just beneath the palaeosols, but which lack caliche, suggesting that the groundwater table fluctuated markedly during their development. Voids and cracks filled with clays, and carbonate nodules (less than 0.1 mm in diameter) with thin iron–manganese rims are abundant in the palaeosols, indicating that wet and dry seasons were marked during the palaeosol development. It is suggested that the monsoonal influence was marked in the Yangtze Delta, with both winter and summer monsoons strongly developed during the development of the late Quaternary palaeosols.     

Annual and interannual variations of large-scale circulation over the tropics as revealed from OLR data

In this study, the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data of eight years have been used to investigate the annual and interannual variations of large-scale circulation over the tropics. The results of EOF analysis indicate that the first three eigenvectors reflect the essential features in OLR annual variation. However, they contribute little to the interannual change. In comparison, the fourth to the sixth components have very large year-to-year variations. The pronounced anomalies are located over the tropics with east-west dipole pattern. It implies that ENSO events are related closely to the variation of the Walker circulation.     

Potential water sources for Late Quaternary Megalake Jilantai-Hetao,China, inferred from mollusk shell <Superscript>87</Superscript>Sr/<Superscript>86</Superscript>Sr ratios

Lake Jilantai-Hetao, a megalake, was formed some time before 60–50 ka, along the Great North Bend of the Yellow River. The basin is now dry, with most of the area covered by aeolian sand. We are investigating this profound hydrologic change using a number of research approaches. Paleoshorelines of this megalake are best preserved in the Jilantai area in the southwestern portion of the megalake basin. We collected aquatic mollusk shells from littoral sediments at different altitudes around Jilantai and measured their strontium isotope compositions. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in shell carbonates are different between the high lake phase (~1,080–1,050 m altitude) and the low lake phase (~1,044–1,030 m altitude), with a small shift in average strontium ratios to more radiogenic values during the low lake phase. Based on regional hydrology and physical geography, we conclude that water from the Yellow River was the dominant water source supplying this megalake. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of modern water samples suggest the Yellow River was the dominant water source during the high lake phase, but that the relative contribution of Yellow River water to the megalake was reduced, and that the relative contributions of local precipitation and groundwater increased, during the low lake phase.     

厦门港帽铃水母生活史的研究

本文详细描述了厦门港帽铃水母从胚囊期到水螅体的各发育期的外部形态、发育时间与大小,以及附着与变态过程,并对其结果进行讨论。     

Pb-Pb dating of black shales from the Lower Cambrian and Neoproterozoic strata, South China

Black shales occur widely in the Lower Cambrian and Neoproterozoic strata on the Yangtze Platform, South China. In this study, Lower Cambrian black shales from Xiuning section and Late Neoproterozoic black shales from Weng’an section were studied and Pb isotopic compositions were analyzed following a stepwise acid-leaching technique. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios in both sections show large variations, from 18.906 to 43.737 in the Weng’an section and from 24.811 to 38.110 in the Xiuning section. In contrast, the ranges for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values in both sections are relatively smaller from 15.649 to 17.126 and 37.744-38.199 in the Weng’an section, and from 16.034 to 16.783 and 38.602-39.391 in the Xiuning section, respectively. These data yielded two Pb isotope isochron ages of 536±39 and 572±36 Ma, respectively. These ages well accord with other published data and we suggest that they represent the depositional ages for the Lower Cambrian Hetang Formation and the upper Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation in South China.     

阻碍江苏滩涂开发速度的因素浅析

文章描述了江苏沿海滩涂开发存在的问题，分析归纳出影响滩涂开发速度的几个重要因素：领导重视不够；开发管理体制混乱；资金投入严重不足；科技投入减少，等等。并提出加速滩涂开发的几条措施，以企有所裨益。     

2001年昆仑山口西8.1级地震地表破裂带

2001年11月14日昆仑山口西8.1级地震是近50年来在我国大陆发生的震级最大、地表破裂最长的地震事件.地震地表破裂带全长426km,宽数米至数百米,总体走向90°～110°,具有明显的破裂分段特征,自西向东由5条次级破裂段组成.各破裂段又由若干更次级左阶或右阶斜列的破裂组成,具有自相似的分形结构特征.地震破裂带以左旋走滑为主,倾滑量很小.宏观震中区位于库赛湖东北93.0°～93.5°E一带的昆仑山南麓断层谷地内.最大地表同震左旋水平位移6.4m,最大垂直位移为4m.地表水平位移沿地震破裂带走向出现6个峰值,各峰值之间存在相对独立的衰减序列,这表明此地震具有多点破裂特征.     

西湖凹陷陆盆冲积体系河道演变规律探讨

西湖凹陷渐新统一中新统陆盆沉积发育了类型丰富的河道沉积,本文根据陆盆充填机制对盆地演化各阶段的控制作用,从沉积层序、沉积构造、岩性组合特征诸方面探讨了盆地演化过程的河道变迁特点。     

基于多种形变观测资料分析福建地区形变特征

利用福建区域GPS连续观测资料计算出应变场,由跨断层垂直形变资料计算出形变速率强度累积率,并根据跨断层、体应变等多种形变资料得到各测点压张特性的空间分布.在此基础上,研究了福建区域2005-2006年、2007-2008年、2009-2010年各时期的形变特征.研究结果表明:龙岩-厦门-东山、政海带与沙县南日岛断裂带交...