Magnetic properties of Jiaxian red clay sequences from northern Chinese Loess Plateau and its paleoclimatic significance

Rock magnetism research on eolian deposits from the Chinese Loess Plateau shows that magnetite, maghe- mite and hematite are the main magnetic minerals in loess-paleosol sequences and red clay se-quences[1―8], and finds that the magnetic susceptibility increase is positively correlated to the content of ultra-fine minerals and relatively strong pedogene- sis[7―15]. This offers significant information in studying the Late Cenozoic paleoclimatic history of Chinese Loess Plateau[1,5―8,10―22…     

Agroecosystem research in Uppsala,Sweden and Naiman,China: Some observations 1987–2014

The recent economic progress in China has stimulated scientific research in sandy lands in Inner Mongolia,where the Institute of Desert Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences(now CAREERI) has a leading position.Economic progress naturally creates financial resources for research,and also a dire need for solutions to emerging environmental problems following development,where wind-blown dust from Inner Mongolia adds to the severe particle air pollution in many Chinese cities.This paper presents selected results and observations made during Chinese–Swedish cooperation projects spanning 25 years.Results and experiences from sandy land research concerning climate,vegetation,root dynamics,soil carbon balances,etc.are briefly presented.The evolution of the Naiman Desertification Research Station,520 km northeast of Beijing,from 1988 to 2013 is duly noted and commented.An overview of the ICBM soil carbon model concept follows and a few recommendations for future scientific advancement in Chinese arid lands are given.     

Snow cover estimation from MODIS and Sentinel-1 SAR data using machine learning algorithms in the western part of the Tianshan Mountains

Obtaining the spatial distribution of snow cover in mountainous areas using the optical image of remote sensing technology is difficult because of cloud and fog. In this study, the object-based principle component analysis–support vector machine(PCA–SVM) method is proposed for snow cover mapping through the integration of moderateresolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) snow cover products and the Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar(SAR) scattering characteristics. First, derived from the Sentinel-1 A SAR images, the feature parameters, including VV/VH backscatter, scattering entropy, and scattering alpha, were used to describe the variations of snow and non-snow covers. Second, the optimum feature combinations of snow cover were formed from the feature parameters using the principle component analysis(PCA) algorithm. Finally, using the optimum feature combinations, a snow cover map with a 20 m spatial resolution was extracted by means of an object-based SVM classifier. This method was applied in the study area of the Xinyuan County, which is located in the western part of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China. The accuracies in this method were analyzed according to the data observed at different experimental sites. Results showed that the snow cover pixels of the extraction were less than those in the actual situation(FB1=93.86, FB2=59.78). The evaluation of the threat score(TS), probability of detection(POD), and false alarm ratio(FAR) for the snow-covered pixels obtained from the two-stage SAR images were different(TS1=86.84, POD1=90.10, FAR1=4.01;TS2=56.40, POD2=57.62, FAR2=3.62). False and misclassifications of the snow cover and non-snow cover pixels were found. Although the classifications were not highly accurate, the approach showed potential for integrating different sources to retrieve the spatial distribution of snow covers during a stable period.     

S and Pb Isotopic Constraints on the Relationship between the Linong Granodiorite and the Yangla Copper Deposit,Yunnan, China

The Yangla copper deposit, located in western Yunnan Province, China, is a typical giant, newly started mining copper deposit with an estimated Cu reserves of about 1,200,000 tons. The deposit is spatially and temporally associated with the Linong granodiorite, which is rich in SiO2 (SiO2=58.25 wt%–69.84 wt%) and alkalis (Na2O+K2O=5.98 wt%–8.34 wt%), indicating an association with shoshonitic series to high-K calc-alkaline series granites, and shows low contents of TiO2 (0.35 wt%–0.48 wt%), MgO (1.51 wt%–1.72 wt%), and Al2O3 (13.38 wt%–19.75 wt%). The δ34S values of sulfides of the main ore stage from copper ores vary range from ?4.2‰ to ?0.9‰, indicating a much greater contribution from the mantle to the ore-forming fluids. The δ34S values of the late ore stage is ?9.8‰, indicating enrichment of biogenic sulfur which may derive from the crustal hydrothermal fluid. The 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb of sulfides of the main ore stage from copper ores range within 38.66–38.73, 15.71–15.74 and 18.35–19.04, respectively, implying that the Pb was derived from the mantle, with the crustal component, probably representing mixtures of mantle lead and crustal lead. Sulfide of the late ore stage in their Pb isotopic composition, 208Pb/204Pb= 38.69, 207Pb/204Pb=15.70, 206Pb/204Pb=18.35, implying that the Pb was derived from the crust. The Linong granodiorite is syn-collisional, produced by partial melting of thickened lower crust, which was triggered by the westward subduction of the Jinshajiang Oceanic plate. During a transition in geodynamic setting from collision-related compression to extension, gently dipping ductile shear zones (related to subduction) were transformed to brittle shear zones, consisting of a series of thrust faults in the Jinshajiang tectonic belt. The tensional thrust faults would have been a favorable environment for ore-forming fluids. The ascending magma provided a channel for the ore-forming fluid from the mantle wedge. After the magma arrived at the base of the early-stage Linong granodiorite, the platy granodiorite at the base of the body would have shielded the late-stage magma from the fluid. The magma would have cooled slowly, and some of the ore-forming fluid in the magma would have entered the gently dipping thrust faults near the Linong granodiorite, resulting in mineralization.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000887

The increasing number of fossil pterosaur eggs sheds light on nesting environments and breeding be- haviors of these extinct flying reptiles. Here we report the first partial three-dimensional egg of the pterosaur, Pteroduustro guinazui, from central Argentina. The specimen was discovered from the same Albian deposits as the exceptional R guinazui embryo described in 2004. Microscopic characterizations indicate a pristine preservation of the 50 Bm thick calcium carbonate, which differs significantly from the soft shell of Chinese pterosaur eggs. Estimate of the eggshell conductance implies that the nest had a minimum moisture content of 75%. This moisture estimate, combined with geological and taphonomical data, suggests that P. guinazui may have adopted a nesting strategy similar to those of grebes and flamingos rather than being buried on land, as previously hypothesized. Moreover, our results demon- strate that the nesting paleoenvironment of this pterosaur species was closely linked to a mesohaline lacustrine ecosystem in a basin governed by regional tectonic subsidence, a setting characteristic for the feeding and reproduction of modern flamingos.     

中国辽西两件长尾翼龙的简单注释

Pterosaur diversity in China has increased tremendously in the last two decades particularly due to discoveries made in deposits of western Liaoning. Most species belong to the Pterodactyloidea, a clade that groups the more derived members of the Pterosauria, but recently the number of non-pterodactyloid taxa has grown (e.g., Czerkas & Ji 2002, Lü, 2009).     

Striped weakfish (Cynoscion guatucupa): a biomonitor of organochlorine pesticides in estuarine and near-coastal zones

The general goal of this study was to investigate the role of Cynoscion guatucupa as a biomonitor of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) contamination in Bahía Blanca estuary. Thus, we evaluated whether or not OCP fish distribution pattern reflects the OCP land sources, and if size-related bioaccumulation and biomagnification of these contaminants does occur by comparing different tissues of juvenile and adults of C. guatucupa (Cuvier, 1830). Size-related bioaccumulation in C. guatucupa was observed and it was more important for the more lipophilic and biomagnifying OCP, being determined over time by diet influence. Endosulfan sulfate, chlordanes, HCH isomers and DDT compounds predominated in tissues and ingested food of C. guatucupa, being alpha-chlordane, heptachlor and p,p'-DDE highly bioaccumulated and biomagnificated. Our findings also showed that male adults of C. guatucupa are biomonitors of OCP pollution so we propose this species for further investigations in other coastal zones of South America.     

A high-contrast coronagraph for direct imaging of Earth-like exoplanets: design and test

A high-contrast coronagraph for direct imaging of an Earth-like exoplanet at the visible band needs a contrast of 10-10 at a small angular separation of 4λ/D or less. Here we report our recent laboratory experiment that approaches these limits. Our test of a high-contrast imaging coronagraph is based on our step-transmission apodized filter. To achieve this goal, we use a liquid crystal array as a phase corrector to create a dark hole based on our dedicated algorithm. We have suppressed the diffraction and speckle noise near the point image of a star to a level of 1.68 × 10-9at4λ/D, which can be used for direct imaging of Jupiter-like exoplanets. This demonstrates that a telescope incorporating a high-contrast coronagraph in space has the potential to detect and characterize Earth-like planets.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987110000307

The Polar Urals region of northern Russia is well known for large chromium (Cr)-bearing massifs with major chromite orebodies, including the Centralnoye I deposit in the Ray-Iz ultramafic massif of the Ural ophiolite belt. New data on platinum (Pt)-group elements (PGE), geochemistry and mineralogy of the host dunite shows that the deposit has anomalous iridium (Ir) values. These values indicate the predominance of ruthenium–osmium–iridium (Ru–Os–Ir)-bearing phases among the platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage that is typical of mantle-hosted chromite ores. Low Pt values in chromites and increased Pt values in host dunites might reflect the presence of cumulus PGM grains. The most abundant PGM found in the chromite is erlichmanite (up to 15 μm). Less common are cuproiridsite (up to 5 μm), irarsite (up to 4–5 μm), and laurite (up to 4 μm). The predominant sulfide is heazlewoodite, in intergrowth with Ni–Fe alloys, sporadically with pentlandite, and rarely with pure nickel. Based on the average PGE values and estimated Cr-ore resources, the Centralnoye I deposit can be considered as an important resource of PGE.