The Bangudae Petroglyph in Ulsan, Korea: studies on weathering damage and risk prognosis

The prehistoric Bangudae Petroglyph in the Ulsan area represents an outstanding National Treasure of the Republic of Korea. Since the construction of the Sayeon dam, the petroglyph with about two hundred carvings is periodically submerged by the Sayeon reservoir. The danger of increasing damage has resulted in intensive efforts to protect this cultural heritage. Diagnosis and risk prognosis studies were carried out. Results of petrographical studies, monument mapping and in situ measurements are presented. Types, degree and zonation of damage are evaluated. The risk estimation derived from the studies confirms the necessity of preservation measures.     

Postglacial midge community change and Holocene palaeotemperaturereconstructions near treeline, southern British Columbia (Canada)

Stratigraphic analysis of fossil chironomid head capsules wasperformed at North Crater Lake and Lake of the Woods, located at treeline (2250m) in the Ashnola region of southernmost British Columbia. Priorto 10,000 yr BP, cold conditions were indicated by the lack oftemperate taxa and the presence of cold-stenotherms. The abundance anddiversity of warm-adapted taxa (e.g., Dicrotendipes,Microtendipes, Polypedilum and Cladopelma)increased rapidly after 9500 yr BP, whereas taxa indicative ofcold conditions disappeared. Beginning prior to deposition of the Mazama ash(6730 ± 40 yr BP), several warm-adapted taxa decreasedin abundance. Mid- to late-Holocene assemblages (ca. 4500yr BP to present) indicated continued cooling as revealed by afurther reduction in diversity and abundance of warm-adapted taxa atboth lakes, and the reappearance of cold-stenotherms in Lake of theWoods. Diversity changes in the cores paralleled the inferred climatic changes.Diversity was low during the late-glacial, increased in theearly-Holocene, and declined after 5400 yr BP.To quantitatively infer past climatic changes, a newweighted yphen;averaging partial-least-squares (WA-PLS)model was developed and applied to the fossil midge data. The quantitativereconstructions revealed late-glacial mean July air temperatures rangingfrom about 8 to 10°C. Summer air temperatures were highest inthe early Holocene (13 to 17°C), gradually decreasing by about3°C through the mid- to late-Holocene.     

Tectonic controls on Cenozoic foreland basin development in the north‐eastern Andes,Colombia

In order to evaluate the relationship between thrust loading and sedimentary facies evolution, we analyse the progradation of fluvial coarse‐grained deposits in the retroarc foreland basin system of the northern Andes of Colombia. We compare the observed sedimentary facies distribution with the calculated one‐dimensional (1D) Eocene to Quaternary sediment‐accumulation rates in the Medina wedge‐top basin and with a three‐dimensional (3D) sedimentary budget based on the interpretation of ～1800 km of industry‐style seismic reflection profiles and borehole data. Age constraints are derived from a new chronostratigraphic framework based on extensive fossil palynological assemblages. The sedimentological data from the Medina Basin reveal rapid accumulation of fluvial and lacustrine sediments at rates of up to ～500 m my^?1 during the Miocene. Provenance data based on gravel petrography and paleocurrents reveal that these Miocene fluvial systems were sourced from Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene sedimentary units exposed to the west in the Eastern Cordillera. Peak sediment‐accumulation rates in the upper Carbonera Formation and the Guayabo Group occur during episodes of coarse‐grained facies progradation in the early and late Miocene proximal foredeep. We interpret this positive correlation between sediment accumulation and gravel deposition as the direct consequence of thrust activity along the Servitá–Lengupá faults. This contrasts with one class of models relating gravel progradation in more distal portions of foreland basin systems to episodes of tectonic quiescence.     

Magnetic and nuclear structure and thermal expansion of orthorhombic and monoclinic polymorphs of CoGeO3 pyroxene

CoGeO₃ was synthesized at 1,273 and 1,448 K using ceramic sintering techniques in the monoclinic and orthorhombic modification, respectively. The two compounds were analysed by magnetic susceptibility measurements and neutron diffraction in order to study magnetic ordering and spin structures at low temperature. The monoclinic form of CoGeO₃ has C2/c symmetry and orders magnetically below 36 K with a small negative paramagnetic Curie temperature θ _P = −4.6 (2) K. The magnetic structure can be described with k = (1, 0, 0) in the magnetic space group C2′/c′ having a ferromagnetic spin arrangement within the chains of M1 sites, but a dominating antiferromagnetic coupling between the chains. At the M1 sites the magnetic spins are aligned within the a–c plane forming an angle of 120° with the +a-axis and they are not parallel to the spins at M2. Here spins are also ferromagnetically coupled within, but antiferromagnetically coupled between the M1/M2 site bands. The orthorhombic phase of CoGeO₃ displays Pbca symmetry and transforms to an antiferromagnetically ordered state [θ _P = −18.6(2) K] below 33 K. The magnetic spin structure can be described with k = (0, 0, 0) in space group Pbca′ and it is similar to the one of the C2/c phase except that it is non-collinear in nature, i.e. there are components of the magnetic moment along all three crystallographic axes. Small magneto-elastic coupling is observed in the orthorhombic phase.     

Terrestrial geochemistry of Cd,Bi, Tl,Pb, Zn and Rb

About 2000 common magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and rockforming minerals contained in 465 individual samples have been analyzed for 6 trace metals and potassium with high precision, mainly by combined distillation and AAS methods. Estimates of average abundances in the continental crust are: 98 ppb Cd. 82 ppb Bi. 490 ppb Tl, 14.8 ppm Pb, 77 ppm Zn and 98 ppm Rb (K/Rb: 223). These averages are close to the mean concentrations of the 6 elements in sedimentary and in low to medium grade metamorphic rocks. In relation to the upper mantle the earth's crust has very effectively accumulated Rb, Pb, Tl (and Bi). Cd and Zn are equally distributed between the upper and lower crust. Bi, Tl, Rb, Pb and K are accumulated in the upper relative to the lower continental crust by factors between 3.5 and 1.4. This is mainly due to higher concentrations in granites and lower abundances in granulites relative to gneisses and schists. The five metals form large ions with bulk coefficients less than one for the partition between metamorphic rocks and anatectic granitic melts. The major hosts of Rb, Tl, Pb and Bi in rocks are minerals with 8- to 12-coordinated sites such as mica, K-feldspar, plagioclase etc. (except for some preference of Bi for sphene and apatite). As examples of significant correlations those of Pb with Tl, K, Bi and Rb in mafic rocks and of Bi with K, Rb, Tl and Pb in sedimentary rocks can be reported. In granites and gneisses hydroxyl containing Fe²⁺-Mg-silicates are major host minerals for Zn and Cd. Except in some carbonate rocks Cd has no preference for Ca minerals.