Reforestation Programs in Southwest China： Reported Success, Observed Failure, and the Reasons Why

Ever since the disastrous floods of 1998, the Chinese government has used the Natural Forest Protection and Sloping Land Conversion Programs to promote afforestation and reforestation as means to reduce runoff, control erosion, and stabilize local livelihoods. These two ambitious programs have been reported as large-scale successes, contributing to an overall increase in China’s forest cover and to the stated goals of environmental stabilization. A small-scale field study at the project level of the implementation of these two programs in Baiwu Township, Yanyuan County, Sichuan, casts doubt upon the accuracy and reliability of these claims of success; ground observations revealed utter failure in some sites and only marginal success in others. Reasons for this discrepancy are posited as involving ecological, economic, and bureaucratic factors. Further research is suggested to determine whether these discrepancies are merely local aberrations or represent larger-scale failures in reforestation programs.     

Assessment of man-made and natural hazards in the surroundings of hydropower projects under construction in the beas valley of northwestern Himalaya

Mountain ecosystem,on the earth,has plenty of natural resources. In Himachal Pradesh all the rivers are snowfed and therefore rich in water resources. These resources have been supporting enough for the generation of electricity through introducing hydropower projects since the last decade. However,every developmental activity has its own negative impacts on the surrounding environment. Due to the fragile nature of topography and delicacy of ecology of the Himalaya,it results in lot of disturbances because of high degree of human interferences like construction of major hydropower projects. The increased extent of geological hazards,such as landslides,rock fall and soil erosion,have mainly due to alike developmental interventions in the natural ecosystem. So understanding and analysing such impacts of the hydropower projects have mainly been on the environment in various forms but natural hazards have been frequent ones. The present study,therefore,focuses mainly on the Parbati Stage Ⅱ (800 MW) and the Parbati Stage Ⅲ (520 MW) hydropower projects; both of which fall within the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Based on the perception survey of the local communities,the existing land use pattern,status of total acquired land of the residents by hydropower projects,frequent natural hazards and resultant loss to the local communities due to upcoming construction of hydropower projects surrounding to the Parbati Stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ have been analysed in the paper. Also,the preventive measures to mitigate these adverse impacts have been suggested to strengthen these projects in eco-friendly manner in the mountain context.     

The discovery of a new family Sunopteridae fam. nov. (Insecta: Protorthoptera) from Shaanxi Province,China

The fossil specimens discussed in this paper were collected from the grayish green mudstone and shale in the upper part of Lower Member of Middle Triassic Tongchuan Formation (T2t) in Shaanxi Province, China. Venationary feature correlation with old families and taxonomic discussion show that, among them, one specimen can be assigned to a new family - Sunopteridae fam. nov., which includes a new genus and species and can be referred to Order Protorthoptera Handlirsch, 1906 in taxonomic position, thus belonging to a new member of the Tongchuan Entomoassemblage of Shaanxi Entomofauna (belonging to Shaanxi Biota). The discovery of the new family and its new genus and species has certain reference values as follows: ① The discovery of the new family and its new genus and species fills firstly the vacancy in the protorthopterous field of China; ② In the meantime, it fills also the gaps of the valuable Middle Triassic protorthopterous fossil specimens between Late Carboniferous and Late Triassic Epochs in the world; ③ Judging from venationary features and taxonomic position, especially in the course of the formation of the merged vein of M and Cu, it formed a new unique and particular style of merged vein M+Cu. It not only is unique and simple, but also can be distinguished from the above mentioned 10 old families, thus providing important taxonomic evidence.     

Engineering vibration monitoring by GPS： long duration records

Monitoring the performance of any structure requires real-time measurements of the change of position of critical points.Different techniques can be used for this purpose,each one offering advantages and disadvantages.The technique based on satellite positioning systems(GPS,GLONASS and the future GALILEO)seems to be very promising at least for long period structures.The GPS in particular provides sampling rates that are able to track dynamic displacements with high accuracy.Its service ability is indepen...     

利用海洋重力场变化分析洋底板块运动

洋底板块运动是地球动力学和全球变化研究的重要内容.本文根据质量迁移与地球外部重力场变化的对应关系,利用不同时期测高资料推算的1995—2019全球海洋重力场变化结果,反演分析全球洋底板块运动特征.研究表明,板块汇聚边界、板块内无震海岭、海山群、断裂带等区域重力异常变化显著,而在板块离散边界无明显变化趋势;西南印度洋中脊、大西洋中脊、中印度洋中脊等地区重力异常垂直梯度变化显著,且在西太平洋俯冲带、部分海岭区域也存在明显变化,其空间分布与地形基本吻合.海洋重力场变化整体上准确反映了全球洋底板块构造运动.相较于重力异常变化反演结果,重力垂直梯度的变化能够更为准确地反映洋底板块运动特征,特别是在洋中脊区域,扩张速率越小,垂直重力梯度变化越显著.此外,详细讨论了测高海洋重力场不确定因素对洋底板块运动分析结果的影响,海面坡度改正是主要因素之一.

     

The Timing of the Palaeoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event using Dykes,Sills and Bolcanics of the Ongeluk Large Igneous Province,Kaapvaal Craton

正The Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic Transvaal Supergroup of the Kaapvaal Craton,southern Africa,is one of the best-preserved and most complete stratigraphic records across a critical in juncture in the Earth’s history.     

The Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic passive margin Lajeado Group and Apiaí Gabbro,Southeastern Brazil

The Lajeado Group in the Ribeira Belt,southeastern Brazil,corresponds to an open-sea carbonate platform,comprised of seven overlapping siliciclastic and carbonatic formations,intruded in its upper portion by the Apiai Gabbro.These rocks have a Neoproterozoic tectonometamorphic overprint related to arc magmatism and the Brasiliano collisional orogeny.Geochronological constraints are given by new UPb SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS data for Lajeado Group detrital zircons and for magmatic zircons from the Apiai Gabbro.The youngest detrital zircons in the Lajeado Group are 1400-1200 Ma,and constrain its maximum age of deposition to be 1200 Ma,whereas the 877 ± 8 Ma age for magmatic zircons in the Apiai Gabbro give the minimum age.Detritus source areas are mainly Paleoproterozoic(2200-1800 Ma)with some Archean and Mesoproterozoic contribution(1500-1200 Ma),with distal or tectonic stable cratonic character.The Lajeado Group should be a Stenian-Tonian carbonate platform passive margin of a continent at this time,namely the Columbia/Nuna or the Rodinia.The Apiai Gabbro displays similar age to other intrusive basic rocks in the Lajeado and Itaiacoca groups and represents tholeiitic MORB-like magmatism that we relate to the initial break-up of a Mesoproterozoic continent and the formation of the Brasiliano oceans.     

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Intracontinental Basaltic Volcanism on the Northwest Arabian Plate,Gaziantep Basin,Southeast Anatolia,Turkey

Volcanism along the northwest boundary of the Arabian Plate found in the Gaziantep Basin, southeast Turkey, is of Miocene age and is of alkaline and calc-alkaline basic composition. The rare earth element data for both compositional series indicates spinel–peridotite source areas. The rare earth and trace elements of the alkaline lavas originate from a highly primitive and slightly contaminated asthenospheric mantle; those of the calc-alkaline lavas originate from a highly heterogeneous, asthenospheric, and lithospheric mantle source. Partial melting and magmatic differentiation processes played a role in the formation of the petrological features of these volcanics. These rocks form two groups on the basis of their ~(87) Sr/~(86) Sr and ~(143) Nd/~(144) Nd isotopic compositions in addition to their classifications based on their chemical compositions(alkaline and calc-alkaline). These isotopic differences indicate a dissimilar parental magma. Therefore, high Nd isotope samples imply a previously formed and highly primitive mantle whereas low Nd isotope samples may indicate comparable partial melting of an enriched heterogeneous shallow mantle. Other isotopic changes that do not conform to the chemical features of these lavas are partly related to the various tectonic events of the region, such as the Dead Sea Fault System and the Bitlis Suture Zone.