Zircon U–Pb ages and O–Nd isotopic composition of basement rocks in the North Qinling Terrain, central China: evidence for provenance and evolution

The Qinling Group was previously interpreted as the oldest Precambrian basement unit of the North Qinling Terrain, recording its formation and early crustal evolution. The Qinling Group consists predominantly of gneisses, amphibolites, and marbles, which underwent multi-phase deformation and metamorphism. In order to better constrain the provenance and tectonic setting of this group and the evolution of the North Qinling orogenic belt, in situ U–Pb dating and oxygen isotopic analysis of zircons in combination with whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotope analysis was performed on the two dominant rock types, amphibolite and felsic gneiss. Felsic gneisses exhibit enrichment of LREEs and LILEs (Rb, Ba, Th, K, Pb), negative Eu anomalies and depletion of HFSEs (Nb, Ta, P, Ti). The rocks have slightly elevated δ¹⁸O values (6.5–9.3 ‰) and initial ε _Nd values of ?4.6 corresponding to two-stage Nd model age of 1.99 Ga. Amphibolites are also enriched in LILEs and LREEs and depleted in Nb and Ta and have homogeneous δ¹⁸O values (5.0–6.0 ‰), but higher initial ε _Nd values (2.8–3.3) and younger two-stage Nd model ages (1.29–1.24 Ga) compared to the gneisses. The zircon age record indicates that the gneisses and amphibolites were formed in a ~960 Ma volcanic arc environment rather than in a rift setting as previously suggested. A major metamorphic event took place during the Early Paleozoic. Based on the age spectrum of detrital zircons, the Qinling Group is interpreted as an autonomous geological unit, which was mainly derived mostly from 1,000 to 900 Ma old granitoid rocks. The North Qinling Terrain can be regarded as a remnant of the Grenville orogenic belt with an early Neoproterozoic evolution different from that of the North and South China blocks.     

Outflows from Dynamo-Active Protostellar Accretion Discs

An axisymmetric model of a cool, dynamo-active accretion disc is applied to protostellar discs. Thermally and magnetically driven outflows develop that are not collimated within 0.1 AU. In the presence of a central magnetic field from the protostar, accretion onto the protostar is highly episodic, which is in agreement with earlier work.     

Analysis of anomalies in ADS-B and its GPS data

Traditionally, the surveillance component of the air traffic management system has been based on radar, which consists of two separate systems: primary radar and secondary radar, which both enable the measurement of the aircraft range and bearing to the radar station. Primary radar is based on signals emitted by a ground station simply being reflected off an object and detected by a ground-based receiver. Secondary radar also emits signals, but relies upon a transponder onboard the aircraft to emit a signal itself, modulated among others by a four-digit aircraft identity (Mode A), aircraft altitude (Mode C) and/or 24-bit unique address (Mode S). Typical accuracies of secondary radar are of the order of 0.03 NM in range and 0.07° in azimuth. However, no position integrity report is provided. Air traffic density is expected to significantly increase in the future. In order to maintain or enhance air travel efficiency, while maintaining safety, more accurate surveillance systems, with the required integrity, will be required. Automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B) is a new aviation surveillance system, envisioned to overcome the limitations of radar and to enhance surveillance performance and thereby increase airspace capacity. However, its high dependence on external systems such as onboard navigation and communication systems also increases the number of potential points of failure. It is important to understand and mitigate these failure modes before the system can reliably be implemented. The present study emerged as an exploratory research as part of a safety assessment framework development for the ADS-B system. It reviews the ADS-B failure modes, data collection and analysis of ADS-B and its corresponding onboard GPS data. The study identifies a set of failures common to certain aircraft models, with consistent error patterns. A key failure mode was found to be associated with the navigation data from the onboard GPS. We discuss the identified failure modes and investigate the nature and causes of these failures. The findings highlight some of the deficiencies of the current ADS-B system, which will need to be addressed before the ADS-B system can reliably be implemented.     

Benthic carbonate factories of the Phanerozoic

Marine carbonate precipitation occurs in three basic modes: abiotic (or quasi-abiotic), biotically induced, and biotically controlled. On a geologic scale, these precipitation modes combine to form three carbonate production systems, or "factories" in the benthic environment: (1) tropical shallow-water factory, dominated by biotically controlled (mainly photo-autotrophic) and abiotic precipitates; (2) cool-water factory, dominated by biotically controlled (mainly heterotrophic) precipitates; and (3) mud-mound factory, dominated by biotically induced (mainly microbial) and abiotic precipitates. Sediment accumulations of the factories differ in composition, geometry, and facies patterns, and some of these differences appear prominently in seismic data, thus facilitating subsurface prediction. The characteristic accumulation of the tropical factory is the flat-topped, often reef-rimmed platform. In cool-water systems, reefs in high-energy settings are scarce and hydrodynamic influence dominates, producing seaward-sloping shelves and deep-water sediment drifts often armored by skeletal framework. The typical accumulation of the mud-mound factory is groups of mounds in deeper water. Where the mud-mound factory expands into shallow water, it forms rimmed platforms similar to the tropical factory. The tropical factory is most productive; the mud-mound factory reaches 80–90%, and the cool-water factory 20–30% of the tropical growth rate. The three factories represent end members connected by transitions in space. Transitions in time are linked to biotic evolution.     

Cartography and the others – aspects of a complicated relationship

ABSTRACT

Cartographic visualizations have been known for thousands of years and have brought forth a wealth of different map projections and cartographic products. Yet, cartography as an independent science has been established only about 100 years ago and sometimes its position among the spatial disciplines is challenged by the scientific community. In this respect it is a young science based on a very long tradition of map making, globe production, and the development of map projections. Maps and map related visualizations play an important and indispensable role in many other spatial disciplines such as geography and geodesy. Cartography has many overlaps with these traditional disciplines as well as with the more recent ones of photogrammetry and remote sensing. This paper reviews fundamental aspects of the conception of space and time throughout human history, the historic development of cartography from a technique of map making to a spatial science, highlighting major milestones in the history of the discipline. As a young science and confronted with major technological developments in the late 20^th century cartography underwent several crises as to what exactly is cartography and how it relates to other spatial sciences, in particular to geographic information systems. Major pitfalls and misconceptions are discussed and the three major scientific pillars of cartography are identified. The relationships of cartography with neighboring disciplines are discussed and the position of cartography vis a vis the others is delineated. Finally, desirable future developments of scientific cartography are discussed.     

Further Information of the Associated Li Deposits in the No.6 Coal Seam at Jungar Coalfield,Inner Mongolia,Northern China

Total 138 coal samples and 14 parting samples were taken from the No. 6 Seam of the Jungar Coalfield, Inner Mongolia. These samples were analysed by optical microscopy, sequential chemical extraction procedure (SCEP), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope in conjunction with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX) analysis. The results indicate that the Li contents have reached the industrial grade of the coal associated Li deposit, and the total Li reserves have reached 2406600 tons, that is, 5157000 tons Li2O in the No. 6 seam in the Jungar Coalfield. The sequential chemical extraction procedure results suggest that the Li concentration is mainly related to inorganic matter. The minerals in the coals consist of kaolinite, boehmite, chlorite-group mineral, quartz, calcite, pyrite, siderite and amorphous clay material. Some Li could be absorbed by clay minerals in the Li-bearing coal seam. The chlorite phase?could be?most likely the host for a part of Li. The Yinshan Oldland should be the most possible source of Li of the coal.     

The eastern continuation of the Cadomian orogen: U–Pb zircon evidence from Saxo-Thuringian granitoids in south-western Poland and the northern Czech Republic

We report U–Pb single zircon ages from three pre-Variscan granitoids in the NE part of the Bohemian Massif. The Platerówka granodiorite from the Lausitz-Izera Unit, the Polish Sudetes, has been dated at 533±9 Ma. The Bitouchov granite form the SW part of the South Krkonoe Unit, the Czech Sudetes, gave an age of 540+11/–10 Ma, and the Wdroe granodiorite in the Fore-Sudetic Block yielded 548±9 Ma. All these latest Vendian/Early Cambrian granitoids represent the post-tectonic expression of a late Proterozoic Cadomian orogenic cycle and demonstrate the eastward extent of the Cadomian basement into the Variscan orogen. Granodiorites of similar age have so far been reported from Brittany and especially from the Saxo-Thuringian Terrane to the NE and SW of the Elbe Fault Zone. We conclude that the Saxo-Thuringian Terrane extends across the Elbe and Sudetic Marginal Fault Zones into the Fore-Sudetic Block.