Dissolved trace elements in river water: spatial distribution and the influencing factor, a study for the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China

Twenty-nine water samples were collected from different river channels of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectromonitor (ICP-MS) was used to measure concentrations of the trace elements in these samples. The results suggest that the average concentrations of rare earth elements in river water show an increasing trend from the West River, the North River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta, and the Shenzhen River to the East River. Relatively high concentrations of heavy metals appear in the East River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta and the Shenzhen River, while the West River and the North River have relatively low heavy metal concentrations. Trace element concentrations in samples collected near urban or industrial areas are much higher than those of samples collected from distant areas, away from urban and industrial areas. After natural conditions, human activities have significant influence on the trace element concentrations in river water. This trace element concentration’s spatial distribution in the river water from the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is actually an integrated effect of natural conditions and human activity.     

Energy transfer among Pb, Ce and Mn in fluorescent calcite from Kuerle, Xinjiang, China

Natural calcite from Kuerle, Xinjiang, China, shows orange-red fluorescence when exposed to short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light (Hg 253.7 nm). Photoluminescence (PL) emission and excitation spectra of the calcite are observed at room temperature in detail. The PL emission spectrum under 208 nm excitation consists of three bands: two UV bands at 325 and 355 nm and an orange-red band at 620 nm. The three bands are ascribed to Pb²⁺, Ce³⁺ and Mn²⁺, respectively, as activators. The Pb²⁺ excitation band is observed at 243 nm, and the Ce³⁺ excitation band at 295 nm. The Pb²⁺ excitation band is also observed by monitoring the Ce³⁺ fluorescence, and the Pb²⁺ and Ce³⁺ excitation bands, in addition to six Mn²⁺ excitation bands, are also observed by monitoring the Mn²⁺ fluorescence. These indicate that four types of the energy transfer can occur in calcite through the following processes: (1) Pb²⁺ → Ce³⁺, (2) Pb²⁺ → Mn²⁺, (3) Ce³⁺ → Mn²⁺ and (4) Pb²⁺ → Ce³⁺ → Mn²⁺.     

桂北地区早石炭世杜内期的长身贝类的发现及其生物古地理意义

在广西北部兴安县高尚镇金子山剖面下石炭统鹿寨组底部，新发现了长身贝类腕足化石，包括1新种、1个相似种、6个未定种和2个属种未定类型。这些长身贝类以Productellidae和Productidae科的分子为主，另有少量Echinoconchidae和Monticuliferidae科的分子。这些长身贝类全部属于生活在静水环境中的薄壳类型，无一与华南同期地层中已知类型相同。它们之间的差异可能反映了不同沉积环境条件对腕足动物群属种的控制。在鹿寨组底部发现的长身贝类以及近年在桂林南边村和黔南睦化剖面腕足动物群的发现显示出华南台缘斜坡―盆地相区杜内阶中的腕足动物群具有极高的属种分异度，不但有大量见于世界其他地方同期动物群中的分子，也包含有不少原本认为只在维宪阶或更高层位出现的类型或全新的类型，说明华南台缘斜坡―盆地相区不但与世界其他地区的腕足动物群之间存在密切的生物地理区系联系，而且华南台缘斜坡―盆地相区是杜内期腕足动物起源和辐射演化的重要策源地之一。许多属种可能是在这里起源，并迁移扩散到其他地方。     

遥感技术在煤炭地质中的应用现状及前景

介绍了遥感技术在煤炭资源调查和评价、煤矿区地质灾害调查和评估、生态环境及污染调查评价和监测以及煤矿三维可视化仿真规划系统建设方面的应用研究现状及所取得的主要成果，并结合遥感技术的发展方向，展望了其在煤炭地质中的应用前景。     

Comparison of magnetic parameters with vehicular Br levels in urban roadside soils

Chemical methods are generally chosen to monitor soil pollution but magnetic measurements proved to yield additional information at low cost and less time consumption. In this investigation, the novel use of rapid and non-destructive magnetic measurements to characterize Br levels in Xuzhou (China) urban roadside soils was reported. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was used to quantify Br in the soil samples. Data from 21 roadside soil samples confirm Br contamination, with a mean level of 4.36 mg kg⁻¹ and a range of 2.4–8.7 mg kg⁻¹. These values are higher than that of unpolluted soils in Xuzhou that averages 1.1 mg kg⁻¹. Hierarchical clustering analysis shows Br in Xuzhou roadside soils is mainly from road traffic. Clear correlations between Br levels and simple magnetic parameters [mass specific susceptibility (χ _LF), susceptibility of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (χ _ARM), saturation isothermal remanence (SIRM)] are observed. The present study shows that these three magnetic parameters can be used as a proxy for Br levels in Xuzhou urban roadside soils.     

Decarbonation reaction of magnesite in subducting slabs at the lower mantle

High-pressure and temperature experiments (28–62 GPa, and 1,490–2,000 K, corresponding to approximately 770–1,500 km depth in the mantle) have been conducted on a MgCO₃ + SiO₂ mixture using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell combined with analytical transmission electron microscope observation of the product phases to constrain the fate of carbonates carried on the subducting basalt into the lower mantle. At these conditions, the decarbonation reaction MgCO₃ (magnesite) + SiO₂ (stishovite) → MgSiO₃ (perovskite) + CO₂ (solid) has been recognized. This indicates that above reaction takes place as a candidate for decarbonation of the carbonated subducting mid ocean ridge basalts in the Earth’s lower mantle.     

Interpreting tracer breakthrough tailing in a conduit-dominated karstic aquifer

Breakthrough tailing has been observed during dye-tracing recovery tests in the Norville aquifer system (chalk), France. Karst-conduit flow and transport parameters were assessed using two different interpretative methods: the linear graphical method and the Chatwin method (implemented in the Qtracer2 program). The linear graphical method was used to model the observed tailing effects, which was explained by a second smaller delayed breakthrough curve. By comparing the results of tracer-test interpretation for the two methods, it was possible to relate the area of this second curve to the importance of turbulent flow in spring discharge. The more turbulent the flow, the less important the contribution of the second breakthrough curve and the tailing effect. The observed tailing could possibly be controlled by hydrodynamics to a greater extent than usually expected, the tailing effects being mostly attributed to diffusion phenomena. Tailing effects were expected to increase with discharge and the piezometric level, which would have resulted in overpressure in conduits, fissure flooding, etc. Instead, breakthrough tailing tended to disappear with increasing aquifer discharge, which would support the hypothesis of there being mostly hydrodynamic-controlled tailing effects instead of matrix- or fissure-diffusion.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Spatial assessment and redesign of a groundwater quality monitoring network using entropy theory, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Using entropy theory, a methodology was developed for the evaluation and redesign of groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Essential to the methodology is the development of a Transinformation Model (TM) which yields the amount of information transfer and the dependency between the wells as a function of distance. The TM parameters, such as the minimum transinformation and the range, were employed for evaluating the network which revealed that most of the distances between wells were less than the range. It also indicated that a high percentage of redundant information existed in the network. Therefore, the network was reduced by superimposing a square pattern over the monitored area and selecting one well per square block in a stratified pattern. The methodology was tested using the chloride data collected from 1972–2000 from 417 groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip. The number of the groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip was reduced by 53%, while there was 26% redundant information based on the minimum existing distance between wells. This methodology is meant to help monitor the groundwater quality (salinity) in the Gaza Strip.     

Ammonium regeneration in intertidal sediments of the Yangtze estuary during air-exposure

The influences of exposure to the atmosphere on ammonium cycle in the intertidal surface sediments were in situ studied with a geochemical approach at a typical station in the Yangtze Estuary during three tidal cycles in September 2003. During an about 8-h emersion period of each diurnal tide, six high-resolution vertical profiles of adsorbed and dissolved ammonium were measured. It was observed that both adsorbed and dissolved ammonium generally had an increasing trend in sediment cores during the exposure. The rate of ammonium regeneration in sediments was estimated using the accumulation amount of ammonium including adsorbed and soluble fractions during the daytime emersion. The calculation result showed that there was relatively high ammonification rate (˜500 nmol N cm⁻³ day⁻¹), which reflected that organic nitrogen in sediments was quickly decomposed with a residence time of ˜52.7 days. Due to the dramatic temperature difference observed in sediment profiles, free convection was considered an important mechanism of regulating the efflux of produced ammonium into overlying waters. The total estimated amount of regenerated ammonium was ˜1.35×10⁵ t N year⁻¹ in the intertidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary, which occupied 7.6% of the total inorganic nitrogen annually transported to the estuarine ecosystem.     

REE characteristics of the Fanshan alunite deposit in Zhejiang Province, China

1 Introduction Alunite [KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6] is a very important non-ferrous metal resource, so many countries throughout the world have made great investments in research on the mechanism of its formation, its geological characteristics and applications. O…