A primitive euhadrosaurian dinosaur from the uppermost Cretaceous of the Ager syncline (southern Pyrenees,Catalonia)

New hadrosaurid material is recorded from Fontllonga (Ager syncline, province of Lleida), in the Catalonian Pyrenees, comprising a dentary with part of the dental battery, recovered from Late Maastrichtian strata (Tremp Formation), close to the presumed Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. This hadrosaurid is more derived than is Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus from the Haeg Basin (Romania), but lacks a number of features that diagnose the clade Hadrosaurinae plus Lambeosaurinae. It is attributed to the Euhadrosauria on the basis of the following synapomorphies: dentary teeth not recurved distally, narrow dentary crowns, and denticles not supported by subsidiary ridges. The phylogenetic relationships of the best-known iguanodontids and hadrosauroids are evaluated using mandibular and dentary tooth characters. On the basis of a cladistic analysis, the family of Hadrosauridae is diagnosed by more than 29 dentary tooth positions, parallel-sided vertical furrows formed by dentary alveoli, and absence of caudal secondary ridges. Within Hadrosauridae, successive sister-groups of Hadrosaurinae plus Lambeosaurinae are the Fontllonga taxon and Telmatosaurus. The clade Hadrosaurinae plus Lambeosaurinae is characterised mainly by a coronoid process inclined rostrally and by the absence of secondary ridges on dentary crowns. The Fontllonga find suggests the diversity of European hadrosaurids at the end of the Cretaceous to have been greater than previously thought. Moreover, the primitive character of European hadrosaurids as compared to western North American and Asian relatives may be explained in terms of geographical isolation during the Late Cretaceous.     

An insight into the surface velocity of Inylchek Glacier and its effect on Lake Merzbacher during 2006–2016 with Landsat time-series imagery

Mountain glacier is one of the extremely sensitive indicators for climate change, and its surface motion distribution and corresponding variation are valuable information for understanding ice mass exchange and glacier dynamics. This paper presents the long-term ice velocity distributions of Inylchek Glacier in the Tianshan region by pixel-tracking algorithm with time-series Landsat imagery acquired during 2006–2016. Then the monitored ice motion fields of Inylchek Glacier were carefully analyzed and revealed a generally similar spatial distribution characteristic. Most of the ice of the North Inylchek Glacier remains in a stagnant state except for the upstream part, but a relatively high velocity of 20–40 cm/day with an RMSE of 3 cm/day was observed on most part of the South Inylchek Glacier, except for the slow-moving glacier terminus. We also state the glacier dynamics around Lake Merzbacher and their possible effect on its glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk. Besides, the surface velocity distribution on South Inylchek Glacier surface during the ablation period from 2014 to 2016 was also established and also compared with annual velocity. The corresponding difference yields that there is a positive relation between ice motion and temperature variation. Therefore, the time-series ice surface motion yielded by the Landsat imagery thus could provide us an efficient and low-cost way to analyze the current state and changes in glaciers, thanks to the continuous and regular spaceborne observations provided by the Landsat satellites.     

Colluvial sedimentation in a hyperarid setting (Atacama Desert,northern Chile): Geomorphic controls and stratigraphic facies variability

Research on colluvial depositional systems has recently emphasized periglacial and high‐altitude settings, and the relations between Quaternary slope stratigraphy and climate change. This article examines the role of variable slope morphology, surface hydrology and microclimate in controlling colluvial sedimentation along a coastal tract of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Direct accessibility of active surfaces is accompanied by uninterrupted stratigraphic exposures along the base of slopes, allowing direct comparisons between surface processes and the resulting sedimentary record. Four slope sectors are identified, based on differences in morphology and processes over active surfaces. Colluvial sedimentation is controlled by complex interactions of slope gradients and profiles, exposure to dominant winds, and potential runoff pathways, which vary considerably between different sectors. Major differences are evident between these hyperarid deposits and slope sedimentation in periglacial and temperate settings, including the complete absence of pedogenic activity and clay minerals; the volume of aeolian deposits and their role in controlling processes which redistribute sediment downslope, extending colluvial aprons; and the occurrence of runoff processes only where favoured by particular topographic configurations. Depositional surfaces range from steep talus cones, to debris‐flow‐dominated and aeolian‐dominated colluvial aprons, to an aeolian ramp subject to reworking by mass flows and flash floods. Consequently, facies associations and architectures at outcrop are highly variable and highlight the importance of spatial variations in slope morphology and processes in producing distinct, coeval colluvial stratigraphies within a single environmental context. Discrepancies between active processes and the corresponding stratigraphic signatures are also evident in some sectors; for example, preservation of alluvial and aeolian facies in stratigraphic sections does not always reflect the dominant processes over active slopes. Together with the spatial variability in processes and deposits along these slopes, this suggests that caution is required when extracting palaeoenvironmental information from analyses of colluvial successions.     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene landscape evolution in Fossa Bradanica, Basilicata (southern Italy)

Studies in the middle Basento river basin supported by reliable chronological data (tephra layers and a number of absolute datings) have allowed the reconstruction of Late Pleistocene–Holocene geomorphological evolution of the middle to low Fossa Bradanica area (Basilicata, southern Italy). The original Upper Pleistocene hillslope has been dissected by deep gullies leaving relict slope pediments. Holocene filling of the Basento river valley and gullies occurred as a succession of downcut and fill episodes. A first phase of accumulation occurred in the Late Neolithic, which was followed by a downcutting between 4500 and 3700 cal. yr BP. A second deposition phase took place in the Greek–Roman period between 2800 and 1620 cal. yr BP, which was interrupted at around 2500 cal. yr BP. Another downcutting phase took place between 1620 and 1500 cal. yr BP, followed by a deposition phase between 1440 and 1000 cal. yr BP. After 1000 cal. yr BP a deep downcutting took place. Evidence collected with this study, coupled with climate data recorded in other Italian and European locations, suggests that filling and downcutting episodes in Fossa Bradanica were predominantly climate-driven. Anthropogenic impact only intensified or weakened these processes.     

长江三角洲地区生态足迹的时空动态及其可持续发展分析(英文)

In the urbanizing world,the Yangtze Delta Region (YDR) as one of the most developed regions in China,has drawn a lot of the world’s attention for the remarkable economic development achieved in the past decades.Nevertheless,the rapid economic development was certain to be accompanied by unprecedented consumption and loss of natural resources.Therefore,the analysis of the ecological situation and driving factors of environmental impact was of great significance to serve the local sustainable development decision-making and build a harmonious society.In this paper,the ecological footprint (EF) was taken as the index of the ecological environmental impact.With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS),we studied the spatiotemporal change of ecological footprint at two scales (region and city) and assessed urban sustainable development ability in YDR.Then we discussed the driving factors that affected the change of ecological footprint by the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population,Affluence,and Technology (STIRPAT) model.The results showed that increasing trends of regional ecological footprint during 1998-2008 (1.70-2.53 ha/cap) were accompanied by decreasing ecological capacity (0.31-0.25 ha/cap) but expanding ecological deficit (1.39-2.28 ha/cap).The distribution pattern of ecological footprint and the degree of sustainable development varied distinctly from city to city in YDR.In 2008,the highest values of ecological footprint (3.85 ha/cap) and the lowest one of sustainable development index (SDI=1) in YDR were both presented in Shanghai.GDP per capita (A) was the most dominant driving force of EF and the classical EKC hypothesis did not exist between A and EF in 1998-2008.Consequently,increasing in ecological supply and reducing in human demand due to technological advances or other factors were one of the most effective ways to promote sustainable development in YDR.Moreover,importance should be attached to change our definition and measurement of prosperity and success.     

On the crystallinity,probability of occurrence,and rheology of lava and magma

Given a set of comagmatic lavas of similar composition but varying crystallinity, a diagram can be constructed using only the modes of the phenocrysts that quantitively shows the sequence of crystallization. This is done by plotting the amount of each phenocryst against the total crystallinity or percentage of melt of the lava itself. A histogram of the total phenocryst content measures the probability of the magma to be erupted as lava. This eruption probability (P _E ) is the product of the probability of finding the magma at any state of crystallinity (thermal probability, P _T ) and the rheological probability (P _R ) of the magma being physically able to erupt (i.e. P _E =P _T P _R ). It is shown that P _E is given by dX/dT, where X is the crystallinity of the magma as a function of temperature (T). Because crystal production is generally nonlinear—in most rocks it is step-like—P _E is a bellshaped curve stradling the temperature at which the magma is one half crystallized. Near the liquidus it is most favorable rheologically for the magma to erupt. But the probability is small of sampling a magma near its liquidus, because it cools quickly there. It is maximum when there are high rates of crystal production, because it then cools slowly. As the crystallinity increases, it reaches a critical point of maximum packing (i.e. lowest porosity) around 50–60% crystals where it becomes rheologically impossible to erupt. The magma looses its potential to become a lava and it becomes a pluton. From a histogram of crystallinity and P _T ,P _R can be found. This technique, as well as the construction of the mode-crystallization (M-C) diagram, is illustrated using a set of Aleutian lavas. These lavas also show that the point of critical crystallinity decreases with increasing silica content of the lava. Because this critical crystallinity is much lower for granitic magmas, they are much more probable than basaltic magmas to become plutons. Beyond this point, granitic magmas can only erupt as ash flows. This correlation of critical crystallinity and silica content is used to show a method by which the viscosity of the magma can be estimated as a function of crystallinity. This variation is found to compare favorably with Roscoe's equation of the dependence of viscosity on the concentration of suspended solids. These results show that differentiation probably can not normally take place beyond this critical crystallinity. The extraction of melt beyond this critical point by filter pressing is unlikely because the assemblage dilates upon stressing. Only if the phenocrysts deform viscously can additional melt be extracted, and this can probably only occur with large (–30km) bodies.