Preliminary Notes on the Lufeng Vertebrate Fossils

The discovery and short accounts of a few leading fossils of the Lufengvertebrate fauna have already been briefly reported in several previous articles.The most up-to-date geological report with a very instructive tabular representation     

Cenozoic Geology of the Kaolan-Yungteng Area of Central Kansu

Although Kansu province is considered to be one of the less exploredregions, yet many excellent geological works had been done in this areaand its vicinities both by foreigners and by Chinese. The most importantand fundamental works were carried out by Obruschey, von Loczy,     

Testing the case for a Middle Pleistocene Scandinavian glaciation in Eastern England: evidence for a Scottish ice source for tills within the Corton Formation of East Anglia, UK

The provenance of the Happisburgh Till and Corton Till of the Corton Formation is investigated using erratic clast lithologies and allochthonous palynomorphs to test whether the long held assumption that they were deposited by ice that originated in Scandinavia is valid. The results show a wide range of lithologies including Carboniferous Limestone and Coal Measures, and Permian Magnesian Limestone that are not found in Scandinavia, and an absence of distinctive Scandinavian material such as rhomb porphyry and larvikite. Lithologies found indicate deposition by an ice sheet which flowed southwards into north-east East Anglia from central and southern Scotland eroding and transporting materials derived from outcrops in these areas and from eastern England and the western margins of the southern North Sea Basin. It is concluded that the long held assumption that the Happisburgh Till and Corton Till of the Corton Formation were deposited by a Scandinavian ice sheet is erroneous and that they were instead deposited by Scottish ice.     

Regional river flow,water quality,aquatic ecological impacts and recovery from drought

Abstract

During severe drought and low flows in the Otago Region of the South Island of New Zealand, increased bacterial contamination of rivers occurred in agricultural/pastoral catchments due to greater stock use of waterways and the lack of dilution and flushing flows. Concentrations and loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus generally decreased due to the lack of rainfall, runoff and transport from diffuse sources. Other analytes, including dissolved solids and pH, did not change to any considerable degree and were quite spatially variable. Although the health of benthic macroinvertebrate communities can decrease with a lower diversity and fewer sensitive taxa, effects were not significant in most rivers. Algal blooms occurred in some locations, particularly in lowland agricultural catchments with low water velocities and little shade. The prolonged lack of flushing flows can be a significant problem. Fish kills occurred where they became stranded and isolated from the main flow and where there was a lack of deeper pool refuges. Temperatures in excess of 25°C can also result in isolated fish kills, but the duration of these high temperatures appears to be the most critical factor. Adverse effects from drought can be widespread and severe in some locations, but appear to be relatively short-lived with recovery occurring rapidly with increasing flows at most locations. This indicates a degree of resilience of rivers to drought and low flows with long-term impacts that are not severe.     

ON SOME NEOLITHIC (AND POSSIBLY PALAEOLITHIC) FINDS IN MONGOLIA,SINKIANG AND WEST CHINA

In the course of the past two years,when they were in the field with theThird American (1930) and the Haardt-Citroen (1931) Central Asiatic Expedi-tions,the authors of the present note had opportunities for making a series ofarchaeological observations ov     

Braidplain deposition of the Upper Triassic Molteno Formation in the main Karoo (Gondwana) Basin, South Africa

ABSTRACT The Upper Triassic (Carnian?) Molteno Formation in the main Karoo (Gondwana) Basin, South Africa forms a northerly thinning, intracratonic clastic wedge comprising sandstones, shales and coals occurring within thick (up to 140 m) laterally persistent fining-upward sequences. These sequences were deposited by braided streams draining an alluvial plain which may have been built on to the distal slopes of alluvial fan complexes of glacial outwash type. Geometric relations between sequences indicate three phases of tectonic activity. The lowermost fining-upward sequence in the south accumulated against a rising mountain front; cessation of movement and an eastward shift in the main locus of tectonism and sedimentation was followed by renewed uplift and basinwide progradation of the second fining-upward sequence adjacent to a fault-block granite terrain located close to the present south-east coastline of South Africa. This is believed to be the granite at the eastern end of the Falkland Island Plateau, an interpretation consistent with its position on most continental reconstructions and the fracture zone marking its northern scarp face. Faulting is attributed to the first phase of extension prior to continental breakup. The sourceward recession and lack of gross fining-upward trends shown by the uppermost fining-upward sequences is accounted for by limited back-faulting of the still active basin margin. Cessation of activity and further basin margin recession occurred with deposition of the overlying floodplain deposits (Elliot Formation) which were distal equivalents of the braided alluvial plain.