湖南芙蓉锡矿的地质地球化学特征及找矿意义

珍珠山群是发育在扬子板块与华夏板块拼接带东段之婺源－乐平地区的一套中元古代蓟县纪变质深海浊积岩－火山岩组合，自下而上可进一步划分为佛子坑组，鄣山组，周溪组，中洲组，火山活动呈现由弱－强－弱的演化规律，岩石化学特征反映其大地构造环境属火山岛弧或活动边缘盆地，其层位与弧后盆地双桥山群修水组，溪口群，弧间盆地诸家群，铜厂岩群，张村岩群，火山岛弧双溪坞群相当，但岩性组合差异甚大，属同时异相产物，它们共同构成扬子陆缘的双列岛弧造山带模式，是中元古代末华夏板块与扬子板俯冲－碰撞造山的结果，珍珠山群的建立，为华南中元古代板块碰撞提供了新的证据。     

新疆东部印支期成岩成矿年代学新证据

新疆东部是否存在印支期成矿作用长期存在争议 ,并引起了众多地质学家的关注。同位素年代学研究表明 ,吐哈盆地南缘的石英滩金矿床含矿石英脉 Rb-Sr等时线年龄为 2 3 7± 9Ma(95 %可信度 ,下同 )、东准噶尔南部的双峰山金矿含矿石英脉 Rb-Sr等时线年龄为2 2 6± 2 1Ma(95 %可信     

盘古山钨矿成矿流体特征及其地质意义

盘古山钨矿是一个石英脉型钨多金属矿床,在赣南地区的钨矿床中尤为著名。本文在详细的流体包裹体岩相学研究的基础上,对该矿床主成矿阶段黑钨矿-黄铁矿-石英脉和黑钨矿-辉铋矿-石英脉中含矿石英脉中的流体包裹体做了显微测温及拉曼探针分析。结果显示,该矿床流体包裹体类型复杂,不同类型包裹体均一温度及盐度差异较大,反映了复杂的流体特征;包裹体组合复杂,各类型包裹体常叠加在一起,不同分布特征的包裹体组合的均一温度存在明显区别。其中NaCl-H2O气液(Ⅰ型)包裹体均一温度分布范围为100~370℃,大致可划分为三个温度区间,即270~370℃高温区、230~270℃中温区及100~210℃低温区;盐度均10wB%NaCleq.,主要集中在1wB%NaCleq.和4~6wB%NaCleq.之间。相对而言,含CO2三相(Ⅱ型)包裹体的均一温度普遍高于Ⅰ型包裹体,主要集中在220~250℃、260~350℃之间;而盐度相对较低,集中在2~5 wB%NaCleq.之间。所有这些包裹体特征都表明成矿流体具有多期次性,可能反映本区存在多期次的矿化作用。利用含CO2三相包裹体的部分均一温度与最终均一温度计算出成矿流体的捕获压力36.3~97.8 Mpa,平均压力72.2 Mpa,按静岩压力换算成最小成矿深度为1.4~3.76 km,平均为2.78 km。对各类包裹体的激光拉曼探针测试表明:成矿流体中除水、CO2外,还含有少量的CH4和N2。盘古山钨矿的各类流体包裹体的综合特征研究表明,流体的不均一捕获作用可能是盘古山钨矿床石英脉型钨矿形成的主要机制。     

Homochirality as the signature of life: the SETH Cigar

A characteristic hallmark of life is its homochirality: all biomolecules are usually of one hand, e.g. on Earth life uses only L-amino acids for protein synthesis and not their D mirror images. It is therefore suggested that a search for extra-terrestrial life can be approached as a Search for Extra-Terrestrial Homochirality (SETH). A novel miniaturized space polarimeter, called the SETH Cigar, is described which could he used to detect optical rotation as the homochiral signature of life on other planets. Moving parts are avoided by replacing the normal rotating polarizer by multiple fixed polarizers at different angles as in the eye of the bee. It is believed that homochirality will be found in the subsurface layers on Mars as a relic of extinct life.     

Titan haze: structure and properties of cyanoacetylene and cyanoacetylene-acetylene photopolymers

The structure and morphological properties of polymers produced photochemically from the UV irradiation of cyanoacetylene and cyanoacetylene mixtures have been examined to evaluate their possible contribution to the haze layers found on Titan. A structural analysis of these polymers may contribute to our understanding of the data returned from the Huygens probe of the Cassini mission that will pass through the atmosphere of Titan in the year 2004. Infrared analysis, elemental analysis, and thermal methods (thermogravimetric analysis, thermolysis, pyrolysis) were used to examine structures of polycyanoacetylenes produced by irradiation of the gas phase HC3N at 185 and 254 nm. The resulting brown to black polymer, which exists as small particles, is believed to be a branched chain of conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, which, on exposure to heat, cyclizes to form a graphitic structure. Similar methods of analysis were used to show that when HC3N is photolyzed in the presence of Titan's other atmospheric constituents (CH4, C2H6, C2H2, and CO), a copolymer is formed in which the added gases are incorporated as substituents on the polymer chain. Of special significance is the copolymer of HC3N and acetylene (C2H2). Even in experiments where C2H2 was absorbing nearly all of the incident photons, the ratio of C2H2 to HC3N found in the resulting polymer was only 2:1. Scanning electron microscopy was used to visually examine the polymer particles. While pure polyacetylene particles are amorphous spheres roughly 1 micrometer in diameter, polycyanoacetylenes appear to be strands of rough, solid particles slightly smaller in size. The copolymer of HC3N and C2H2 exhibits characteristics of both pure polymers. This is particularly important as pure polyacetylenes do not match the optical constants measured for Titan's atmospheric hazes. The copolymers produced by the incorporation of other minor atmospheric constituents, like HC3N, into the polyacetylenes are expected to have optical constants more comparable to those of the Titan haze.     

Meteorite organics in planetary environments: hydrothermal release, surface activity, and microbial utilization

Up to 50% of the organics in the Murchison meteorite, possibly including some of the polymer, is released in high temperature and pressure aqueous environments, to 350 degrees C and 250 bar, that simulate submarine volcanic, hydrothermal or impact-induced conditions. Meteorite organics of prebiotic significance, such as nonanoic acid, glycine, and pyrene survive the hydrothermal conditions. The released material is surface active with surface pressures up to 19.8 x 10(-3) N m-1, and exhibits an extended surface tension isotherm which suggests a mixture of amphiphilic components. One component, nonanoic acid, is shown to form vesicles. The materials extracted under mild conditions, at 120 degrees C, are nutrients for the humic acid bacterium Pseudomonas maltophilia and efficient nutrients for the oligotroph Flavobacterium oryzihabitans, demonstrating the capability of microorganisms to metabolize extraterrestrial organics.     

The application of histo-cytopathological biomarkers in marine pollution monitoring: a review

During the past two decades, a variety of histopathological alterations in fish and bivalves have been developed and used as biomarkers in pollution monitoring. Some of these have been successfully adopted in major national monitoring programmes, while others, although show promise, are still in the experimental stage. This paper critically reviews the scientific basis, cause and effect relationship, reliability, advantages and limitations of 14 histo-cytopathological biomarkers. The usefulness and practical application of each biomarker have been evaluated against a number of objective criteria including: ecological relevance, sensitivity, specificity, dose-response relationship, confounding factors, technical difficulties and cost-effectiveness.