Geomagnetic Polarity Events in China since 2.48 Ma

This paper presents the results of palaeomagnetic studies of Cenozoic volcanic rocks and Quaternary strata in China, which have confirmed the occurence of some short-period polarity events, After a correlation with the worldwide palaeomagnetic data, a geomagnetic polarity time scale for the time since 2.48 M has been compiled.     

A New Basal Titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China

A new dinosaur of Early Cretaceous age was recently discovered from the Mazongshan area of northwestern Gansu Province, China. The new dinosaur represents a new genus and species of Sauropoda, and is among the most basal members of Titanosauria. Its finding also suggests that titanosaurs might have originated in Asia no later than the Early Cretaceous.     

The theory of asynchronous relative motion II: universal and regular solutions

Two fully regular and universal solutions to the problem of spacecraft relative motion are derived from the Sperling–Burdet (SB) and the Kustaanheimo–Stiefel (KS) regularizations. There are no singularities in the resulting solutions, and their form is not affected by the type of reference orbit (circular, elliptic, parabolic, or hyperbolic). In addition, the solutions to the problem are given in compact tensorial expressions and directly referred to the initial state vector of the leader spacecraft. The SB and KS formulations introduce a fictitious time by means of the Sundman transformation. Because of using an alternative independent variable, the solutions are built based on the theory of asynchronous relative motion. This technique simplifies the required derivations. Closed-form expressions of the partial derivatives of orbital motion with respect to the initial state are provided explicitly. Numerical experiments show that the performance of a given representation of the dynamics depends strongly on the time transformation, whereas it is virtually independent from the choice of variables to parameterize orbital motion. In the circular and elliptic cases, the linear solutions coincide exactly with the results obtained with the Clohessy–Wiltshire and Yamanaka–Ankersen state-transition matrices. Examples of relative orbits about parabolic and hyperbolic reference orbits are also presented. Finally, the theory of asynchronous relative motion provides a simple mechanism to introduce nonlinearities in the solution, improving its accuracy.     

Fluid-melt Inclusions in Fluorite of the Huanggangliang Skarn Iron-Tin Deposit and Their Significance to Mineralization

For the first time, fluid-melt inclusions are found in fluorite of the Huanggangliang skarn iron-tin deposit (HSID). The fluorite was formed in the main stage of mineralization, named the hydro-skarnization stage. The inclusions contain various components such as Fe, Mg and Cr from deep sources. The melts of primary inclusions are mainly Ca- and F-rich and those of secondary inclusions tend to become Si-rich. During this evolution process, the melts and iron daughter minerals decreased and even vanished. These facts reveal that the evolution of the primary mineralizing fluids and the differentiation of the fluids and melts are the main factors leading to the deposition of Fe, Sn and other elements. This discovery confirms the magmatic genesis of the HSID and has filled in the gaps in the research of magmatogenic skarn deposits and furnished new methods for such research. Furthermore, it has enlarged the scope of the research on fluid inclusions.     

Organic Composition of Sulphide Ores in the Okinawa Trough and Its Implications

A preliminary organic geochemical study shows that the sulphide ores from the hydrothermal deposit of the Okinawa Trough are generally low in the total organic carbon and extremely low in the soluble organic matter. In the aliphatic hydrocarbon fraction, the n-alkanes range from C15 to C35, with usual maxima in the middle n-C20 region and strong odd-carbon number predominance when n > C25 (CPI = 1.2). The dominant analog in the aromatic fraction is phenanthrene, a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon, which provides evidence for hydrothermal activity. The organic matter derived mainly from marine planktonic and terrigenous vascular plants is entrapped in a high-temperature regime such as an active chimney and cooled quickly in the sulphide ores on the seafloor. Organic matter and sulphides are definitely products of a high-temperature alteration. The biomarker compounds indicate that the ores are formed under low Eh and pH conditions-a reducing to anoxic environment, which is favourable for sulphates to be     

Geochemical variations in Andean basaltic and silicic lavas from the Villarrica-Lanin volcanic chain (39.5° S): an evaluation of source heterogeneity,fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation

At 39.5° S in the southern volcanic zone of the Andes three Pleistocene-recent stratovolcanoes, Villarrica, Quetrupillan and Lanin, form a trend perpendicular to the strike of the Andes, 275 to 325 km from the Peru-Chile trench. Basalts from Villarrica and Lanin are geochemically distinct; the latter have higher incompatible element abundances and La/Sm but lower Ba/La and alkali metal/La ratios. These differences are consistent with our previously proposed models involving: a) a west to east decrease in an alkali metal-rich, high Ba/La slab-derived component which causes an across strike decrease in degree of melting; or b) a west to east increase in the contamination of subduction-related magma by enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Silicic and mafic lavas from the stratovolcanoes have overlapping Sr, Nd and O isotopic ratios. Silicic lavas also have geochemical differences that parallel those of their associated basalts, e.g., rhyolite from Villarrica has lower La/Sm and incompatible element contents than high-SiO₂ andesite from Lanin. At each volcano the most silicic lavas can be modelled by closed system fractional crystallization while andesites are best explained by magma mixing. Apparently crustal contamination was not an important process in deriving the evolved lavas. Basaltic flows from small scoria cones, 20–35 km from Villarrica volcano have high incompatible element contents and low Ba/La, like Lanin basalts, but trend to higher K/Rb (356–855) and lower ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr (0.70361–0.70400) than basalts from either stratovolcano. However all basalts have similar Nd, Pb and O isotope ratios. The best explanation for the unique features of the cones is that the sources of SVZ magmas, e.g., slab-derived fluids or melts of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, have varying alkali metal and radiogenic Sr contents. These heterogeneities are not manifested in stratovolcano basalts because of extensive subcrustal pooling and mixing. This model is preferable to one involving crustal contamination because it can account for variable Sr isotope ratios and uniform Nd and Pb isotope ratios among the basalts, and the divergence of the cones from across-strike geochemical trends defined by the stratovolcanoes.     

Underplating of Mesozoic Mantle-derived Magmas in Tongling, Anhui Province: Evidence from Megacrysts and Xenoliths

Lithological observations and mineralogical analyses on pyroxene and hornblende megacrysts and pyroxene and hornblende cumulates in xenoliths in the Mesozoic plutons of the Tongling region, Anhui Province, provide evidence for the magmatic underplating of mantle-derived alkali-olivine basalt at circa 140 Ma. The pyroxene and hornblende megacrysts and cumulates were formed through the AFC process at depths ranging from 27 to 35 km.     

A New Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Mid-Cretaceous of Liaoning, China

A new hadrosauroid dinosaur, Shuangmiaosaurus gilmorei gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a complete left maxilla with articulated premaxilla and lacrimal fragments, and a complete left dentary from the mid-Cretaceous Sunjiawan Formation of Beipiao, Liaoning, northeastern China. Cladistic analysis shows that Shuangmiaosaurus is a basal hadrosauroid, and comprises the sister taxon to Hadrosauridae. In both Shuangmiaosaurus and Hadrosauridae, the maxilla-jugal suture is butt-jointed, rather than finger-in-recess articulation as in other basal hadrosauroids. However, Shuangmiaosaurus does not possess such hadrosaurid synapomorphies as the diamond-shaped maxillary crowns with reduced primary ridges and reduced marginal denticles.